Localizable Instruments for Navigated Treatment of Ischemic Stroke

Mechanical thrombectomy as a therapeutic option for ischemic stroke can possibly be supported by localizing the used catheters and guidewires during the intervention. In this study we equipped a probing catheter and a guidewire with electromagnetic (EM) sensors that can be localized in real time by means of an EM field generator. These instruments were tested regarding tracking accuracy and handling in laboratory and clinics. While accuracy was better than 0.4mm in all cases and the probing catheter showed promising handling and robustness, we observed handling problems and a sensor defect in case of the guidewire. We further demonstrated 3D navigation of the tracked catheter by probing 10 targets inside a vascular phantom with an average error of 1.8 mm.