Figure 5
High-Resolution CMR - Delivery Devices. a. Left: Photograph of the 24 French RetroFlex delivery catheter for the Edwards SAPIEN™ stent-valve and visualization with high-resolution T1-weighted 3D FLASH imaging revealing major susceptibility artifacts caused by metal braiding. Middle: Photograph of the balloon catheter on which the stent-valve is crimped for deployment and corresponding CMR image in static position using real-time TrueFISP imaging. The balloon catheter could be well visualized without any disturbing artifacts. Right: Photograph of the inflated balloon catheter, which could be depicted artifact-free with dark contrast with real-time TrueFISP imaging. b. Left: Photograph of the commercially available delivery catheter of the Medtronic CoreValve® prosthesis and visualization with high-resolution T1-weighted 3D FLASH imaging showing severe ferromagnetic artifacts of the catheter shaft but good image quality without disturbing artifacts of the metal-free distal part. Middle: Photograph of the delivery catheter in the release position and corresponding high-resolution CMR image displaying the distal portion of the delivery catheter in great detail. Right: Photograph and corresponding high-resolution CMR image of the loaded delivery catheter. The crimped nitinol stent-valve can be made out easily by its circumscribed ferromagnetic artifacts. c. Left: Photograph of the modified delivery catheter for the Medtronic CoreValve® prosthesis and detailed visualization with high-resolution T1-weighted 3D FLASH imaging in excellent quality without any disturbing artifacts. Middle: Photograph of the modified delivery catheter in the release position and corresponding high-resolution CMR image. Right: Photograph and corresponding high-resolution CMR image of the modified delivery catheter with the loaded stent-valve, whose position within the delivery catheter can be easily determined by its circumscribed susceptibility artifacts.