Remotely controlled catheter insertion system

A system for remotely positioning a catheter within the body of a patient while the patient is undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the system comprising:

• a system controller;
• a remote controller configured to receive user input commands and send control commands to the system controller;
• a hydraulic control system configured to receive hydraulic control commands from the system controller and apply hydraulic pressure to a plurality of hydraulic lines in response to the received hydraulic control commands;
• and
• a catheter positioning system comprising:
• a support rail having a longitudinal axis, the support rail being made from a non-ferrous material;
• a sled member coupled to the support rail and configured to translate along the longitudinal axis of the support rail, the sled member being made from a non-ferrous material;
• a modular plate coupled to the sled member and configured to receive a proximal portion of a catheter;
• a sled base configured to advance the sled member along a guide towards the body of the patient, said sled base being coupled to a sterile barrier effective to maintain sterility inside said sled base by means of a resealable delivery channel effective to receive and guide the catheter,
• wherein the resealable delivery channel comprises a slotted flexible extrusion comprising dual flexible liners, wherein the dual flexible liners are configured with periodic gaps between the flexible liners;
• a longitudinal hydraulic actuator coupled to the sled member, hydraulically coupled to a first one of the plurality of hydraulic lines and configured to move the sled member along the longitudinal axis of the support rail in response to hydraulic pressures applied by the hydraulic control system;
• and
• a first rotational hydraulic actuator coupled to the sled member, hydraulically coupled to a second one of the plurality of hydraulic lines and configured to rotate the catheter coupled to the modular plate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support rail in response to hydraulic pressures applied by the hydraulic control system,
• wherein the system controller is configured to translate control signals received from the remote controller into hydraulic control signals.