Biomedical subjects

M K Konings

Publications and source records attributed to M K Konings.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Development of a tapping device: a new needle insertion method for prostate brachytherapy.

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a tapping device for needle insertion for prostate brachytherapy. This device will tap the needle into the prostate with a certain, well-defined, amount of momentum, instead of the currently used method of pushing the needle. Because of the high needle insertion velocity, we expect prostate motion and deformation to be less compared to current methods. We measured the momentum that is applied when manually tapping the needle into the prostate and found a mean momentum of 0.50 +/- 0.07 N s. The tapping device is pneumatically driven and we found that the delivered momentum increased linearly with the applied air pressure. The efficacy of the tapping device was tested on a piece of beef, placed on a freely moving and rotating platform. A significant correlation was found between the applied pressure and the rotation and displacement of the beef. Displacements and rotations were minimal for the highest pressure (4 bar) and amounted to only 2 mm and 6 degrees, respectively. Higher air pressures will further reduce displacements and rotations.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMed2003

Analytical guide wire motion algorithm for simulation of endovascular interventions.

Performing minimally invasive vascular interventions requires proper training, as a guide wire needs to be manipulated, by the tail, under fluoroscopic guidance. To provide a training environment, the motion of the guide wire inside the human vasculature can be simulated by computer. Such a simulation needs to be based on an algorithm that is both realistic and fast. To meet these two demands, an analytical solution to the problem of guide wire motion has been derived, using a new parametrisation of guide wire shape. The algorithm is highly generic, is entirely based on elementary physics and has good convergence properties (accuracy of 22 micron after two iterations). In an experimental validation of the algorithm in a planar model, the RMS of the spatial discrepancy between the real and simulated catheter positions was about 10% of the lumen size. Comparison of the simulated guide wire motion with 3D rotational angiography data of a real guide wire advanced in a plastic phantom of the cerebral vasculature showed that the new algorithm produced realistic results.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2001

Development of an MR-safe tracking catheter with a laser-driven tip coil.

We developed a magnetic resonance (MR)-safe tracking catheter using an optical fiber with a light-diffusing tip segment to transport laser energy through the catheter. This energy is converted to a DC current running through a small coil at the catheter tip. Our method is inherently MR-safe since the use of long conducting wires is avoided. The intravoxel dephasing induced by the tip coil was clearly visible for laser powers between 250 mW and 750 mW for all angular positions of the catheter. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:131-135.

Catheterization↗

PubMed2001

Development of an MR-compatible, rotation-insensitive, annular pressure sensor.

There is a growing interest in performing intravascular interventions guided by MR imaging--a technique which offers the possibility of flow measurements during the intervention. For a reliable assessment of the haemodynamic significance of a stenosis, the flow and the pressure decay within the stenosis should both be measured. We have developed an optical, MR-compatible, pressure sensor (Annupres) that uses a novel annular element. Existing optical pressure sensors measure pressures unilaterally, thus giving rise to artefacts because of the dependence of the measurement on the angular orientation of the aperture. The annular element, however, measures blood pressure on all sides, and we show that by using circularly polarized light this pressure measurement is intrinsically insensitive to rotation of the sensor around its long axis. The Annupres sensor has been tested in an experimental set-up, and was able to measure pressures from 50 mmHg to 180 mmHg reliably with an accuracy of 1.5%.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

PubMed2000

Heating around intravascular guidewires by resonating RF waves.

We examined the unwanted radiofrequency (RF) heating of an endovascular guidewire frequently used in interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A Terumo guidewire was partly immersed in an oblong saline bath to simulate an endovascular intervention. The temperature rise of the guidewire tip during an FFE sequence [average specific absorption rate (SAR) = 3.9 W/kg] was measured with a Luxtron fluoroscopic fiber. Starting from 26 degrees C, the guidewire tip reached temperatures up to 74 degrees C after 30 seconds of scanning. Touching the guidewire may cause sudden heating at the point of contact, which in one instance caused a skin burn. The excessive heating of a linear conductor like the guidewire can only be explained by resonating RF waves. The capricious dependencies of this resonance phenomenon on environmental factors have severe consequences for predictability and safety guidelines.

Blood Vessels↗

PubMed1998

Torsion measurement of catheters using polarized light in a single glass fibre.

Several types of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters are connected to a motor at their proximal end, in order to let the catheter rotate around its length axis. However, the rotation of the distal axis tip does not follow exactly the rotation of the motor, since the catheter axis is not completely torsion-free and friction forces cause the tip to rotate in a shockwise manner. In the case of the IVUS catheter, continuous information concerning the exact rotation of the crystal is essential for 3D image reconstruction. We developed a simple method of measuring the tip rotation continuously, the TOMCAT method, using only a single optical fibre glued in a fixed position inside the rotating axis of the IVUS catheter, or any rotating axis or catheter in general. Our method does not require external electromagnetic fields or the presence of a non-rotating guiding catheter. The rotation of the distal tip is related to that of the proximal part by transporting polarized light through the fibre. We performed in vitro experiments using various types of optical fibres to test the TOMCAT method, and conclude that using a specific step-index monomode cylinder-symmetrical optical fibre the TOMCAT approach yields accurate results.

Catheterization↗

PubMed1997

Development of an intravascular impedance catheter for detection of fatty lesions in arteries.

Recent studies show that the presence of fatty lesions in the atherosclerotic vessel wall is a risk factor for acute occlusion of blood vessels. Although fat has a high electrical resistivity, existing impedance catheter systems cannot be used for detection of these lesions because artifacts owing to impedance variations in the extravascular surroundings have a major and irretraceable effect on the measurement. Standard algorithms used in attempt to compensate for these artifacts suffer from severe instability problems. We defined design guidelines to be met by a new impedance catheter system in order to make a robust reconstruction algorithm possible and have built an experimental in travascular impedance catheter (IIC) system according to these guidelines, using a normalized differential measurement procedure. With this IIC, we performed experiments on human iliac arteries from the section ward (fixed specimens), showing that plastic models of arterial fatty lesions (8 mm3) can be detected reliably.

Arteriosclerosis↗