Goldvalve detachable balloon: "in vitro" assessment of safety and imaging artifacts in a 3-T MR system

Neuroradiology (2006) 48: 409411DOI 10.1007/s00234-006-0078-z INTERVENTIONAL NEURORADIOLOGYGuilherme Dabus

Ronald J. Gerstle

James Goodman

DeWitte T. Cross III

Christopher J. Moran

Colin P. DerdeynGoldvalve detachable balloon: in vitro

assessment of safety and imaging artifacts

in a 3-T MR systemAbstract The Goldvalve balloon is

the only currently available detachable

balloon. We undertook a study to

determine safety and imaging artifacts

in a MR environment. We found no

evidence for heating or deflection of

the balloon in a comprehensive series

of in vitro experiments at 3 T. MR

imaging at field strengths up to 3 T of

patients with implanted Goldvalve

balloons is safe. Imaging artifacts are

minimal.Keywords Detachable balloon .

Magnetic resonance imaging .3 Tesla . ArtifactsReceived: 2 December 2005Accepted: 23 January 2006Published online: 26 April 2006

# Springer-Verlag 2006G. Dabus (*) . R. J. Gerstle .J. Goodman . D. T. Cross III .C. J. Moran . C. P. DerdeynDivision of InterventionalNeuroradiology, Mallinckrodt Institute

of Radiology, Barnes-Jewish Hospital,

Washington University Schoolof Medicine, Box 8131,510 S. Kingshighway Boulevard,St. Louis, MO 63110, USAe-mail: [email protected].: [phone]Fax: [phone]IntroductionThe safety and imaging artifacts of the Goldvalve balloon

(CathNet-Science, Paris, France), the only commercially

available detachable balloon for neurovascular indications,

have not been evaluated in the magnetic resonance (MR)

environment. The balloon has an integrated valve with a

gold marker. The purpose of this study was to assess the

safety and imaging artifacts of the Goldvalve detachable

balloon in a high-field-strength 3-T MR system.Description of techniqueThe methods used in this study to assess heating, deflection

and imaging artifacts in the 3-T MR environment have been

described previously [13]. Two identical small plastic

bowls were filled with approximately 100 ml of deuterium.

Deuterium was used because it is inert in the MR

environment and does not heat or contribute to signal. One

bowl was used as a control. The Goldvalve detachable

balloon was inflated with 1.0 ml of non-ionic iodinated

contrast medium (Optiray 320, Mallinckrodt, St Louis, Mo.)

and placed in the other bowl. Both bowls were then placed

side by side in a head coil that was advanced to the center of

the 3-T magnet where the experiment was conductedAssessment of heatingTwo MR-compatible fiberoptic temperature-sensing device

probes (Phiso, model UMI4, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada)

were used to measure the temperatures in real...