3D Imaging with a single-element forward-looking steerable IVUS catheter: Initial testing

In the field of vascular interventions, forward-looking intravascular ultrasound transducers (FL-IVUS) are needed for better visualization of complex lesions, such as chronic total occlusions. In this work, we propose a strategy for 3D imaging using a single-element transducer and an optical shape sensing fiber (OSS) in a steerable catheter tip. We evaluate the performance of the integrated device by imaging a six-wire phantom submerged in water. While steering the catheter tip across the wires, ultrasound and OSS data are acquired continuously. We combine the distance information obtained from the ultrasound data with the tip position and direction obtained from the OSS data to reconstruct the wires in 3D space. We quantify the accuracy of the imaging technique by the distance between the wires, and find a mean relative error of 36%. We discuss how this estimate can be further improved by modifications of the probe. This proof-of-principle test demonstrates the feasibility of FL-IVUS imaging using a single-element transducer integrated in a steerable catheter together with an OSS fiber.