The EndoScout Tracking System
What vision can do...
The EndoScout system enables tracking of the location and orientation of miniature sensors during an MRI scan. The tracking is based on the native gradient fields of the MRI scanner, thus there is no need to register the tracking system to the scanner before each use. The system can be easily installed and used on any scanner, with no need to modify the scanner or its mode of operation and with no electromagnetic interference.
The EndoScout is FDA cleared for any MRI-guided intervention on MRI scanners. It is being used for various clinical procedures on open scanners (prostate brachytherapy and cryotherapy, RF ablation of liver tumors, cryotherapy of renal cancer, breast biopsy, brain surgery and more) and for research on close-bore scanners (MRI catheterization and endoscopy, motion artifact elimination) in leading clinical centers around the globe.
Motion-Immune MRI
As MRI is highly sensitive to motion, current practice is based on the prevention of motion during scanning. In young children this commonly requires full sedation or general anesthesia, which are time consuming, costly, and are associated with significant risks. Furthermore, due to the risks of sedation and anesthesia, the use of MRI for research in young children is severely limited. In adults with reduced level of cooperation (e.g. stroke patients, senile dementia) the use of restraining devices or sedation is mandatory.
Using the EndoScout tracking system, Robin Medical Inc. is developing a system that enables scan in the presence of motion. Such a system will have a substantial effect on the practice of MRI in children and in non-cooperative adults.
The elimination of the need for sedation or anesthesia will eliminate the risks, will cut down the time and cost of MRI scanning, and will enable the use of MRI to indications that currently do not justify the risks of sedation or anesthesia. This will enable use of MRI in pediatric research, and has the potential to revolutionize pediatric brain research in healthy and in sick children.
