Participants:
- Samantha Kee
- Eric Larsen
- Kamila Paluch
- Ryan Sinke
Advisor: Dr. Yan
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a non-invasive procedure, has been used to determine diagnostic information on cardiac function. Given the inherent difficulty in imaging the heart in motion, many efforts have been made to eliminate motion related artifacts. A Dynamic Heart Phantom (DHP) is a device that simulates realistic cardiac motion within a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner. Previously, a DHP prototype utilizing electronic controls and hydraulic actuations was developed at TCNJ, which confirmed the validity of the actuation method. In this work, we redesigned the computer and motor controls, hydraulic system, rotation system, and phantom region. Utilizing stepper motors and hydraulics in a modular design, the phantom will twist, compress, and provide translational motion to the simulated left ventricle. Cardiac tissue is mimicked with the use of a weighted gel with similar imaging behaviors. The gel region will experience a maximum of 20° rotation and 120 mmHg pressurization. The z-translational motion will have a range of + 3 cm. Controlled with LabVIEW, the phantom will perform these coordinated motions in emulation of the cardiac cycle. The phantom must be able to perform 4,000 repeatable cycles in one operation. These motions must also have a resolution of 0.75 mm due to MRI constraints. A fiber optic feedback system was also integrated in order to improve the precision and repeatability of the device. A prototype was successfully assembled, tested and imaged by the cardiac research team at the University of Pennsylvania.
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