Reduction of cryoneedle artifacts due to cryoneedle-RF coil interaction during MRI-guided cryoablation

MRI-guided cryoablation is a widely used minimal invasive treatment that uses extreme cold to destroy localized diseased tissues. The cryoneedles used are expected to introduce little metal artifacts by themselves in the MRI images. However, severe artifacts along the cryoneedle shaft are sometimes observed during MRI guided cryoablations in practice, which can not only complicate the cryoablation procedures, but also potentially cause complications and negatively affect treatment outcome. This work demonstrated that the artifacts are likely due to coupling of the cryoneedles and the RF coils, and can be minimized by proper positioning of the cryoneedles, RF coils and patients.