MRI-Compatible Surgical Devices Provide Optimal Visibility

Using a new alloy, a new product range of instruments for minimally invasive surgical procedures using a magnetic resonance image (MRI) scanner can achieve excellent visibility with minimal artifact formation, and high levels of material strength.

The advantages of MRI, such as good presentability without the use of ionizing radiation, high soft-tissue contrast, and a high level of detail reproduction, are leading to the increasing use of minimally invasive surgical procedures with the aid of MRI. The specific requirements of MRI, however, make high demands on the materials used in the making of the instruments for such procedures. Somatex (Teltow, Germany) develops instruments made of paramagnetic materials that are especially suitable for use in MRI scanner.

The alloy, which is now being used in the product range, not only achieves the aims of very good artifact formation, but also provides significantly higher stability than materials previously used for the manufacture of instruments suitable for MRI procedures. The new material renders possible higher sharpness with the resulting higher precision in treatment, combined with an absolute minimum of puncture trauma. "The new material has proved itself in the implantation field and will significantly improve the quality of our MRI products,” stated Dirk Hornscheidt, head of research and development at Somatex.

The new product range includes the following minimally invasive instruments: 1) The Somatex MRI Chiba needle with a particularly sharp ultrasonic tip for the injection of drugs or for fine needle aspiration biopsies. 2) The coaxial MR puncture cannulae with a sharp trocar tip for the absolute minimum of puncture trauma. The needles, for example, can be used for the initial puncture or as sheaths for guidewires, but also as puncture sheaths for the Somatex MR Biopsy Handy. 3) The MR Tumark Professional for precise tissue marking under the guidance of MR. The new 3D marker design guarantees firm anchorage in the tissue with optimal visibility in all positions. 4) The semi-automatic Somatex MRI Biopsy Handy for obtaining histologically usable tissue material from a variety of soft tissues and organs. 5) The MR Tuloc localization system for the pre-operative marking of suspicious tissue. Its high pressure stability and extreme sharpness of cannulae and wire tips render possible the simple penetration even of solid tumor tissue. 6) The Somatex MRI Duo system is a correctable localization set for the preoperative marking of nonpalpable, suspected mammary lesions.

These new MR products were designed to be practice-oriented and have an ergonomic design, while at the same time are particularly simple, reliable, with safe-handling characteristics. The new instruments were presented April 30 to May 3, 2008, at the 89th German Roentgen Congress in Berlin, Germany.


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