Design and evaluation of FBG-based vascular shape reconstruction sensors through animal experiments

Vascular interventional procedure primarily relies on iodine contrast agent angiography, exposing both patients and medical personnel to radiation. The urgent demand for radiation-free, flexible, and real-time diagnostic methods for vascular interventional surgery triggers this study. A multi-grating three-core fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor with an integrated flexible conduit device has been investigated. A porcine artery shape reconstruction experiment is conducted using the device, and an in-vivo experimental protocol is proposed. Vascular shape is reconstructed using an improved HEM (i-HEM) algorithm and compared with computed tomography (CT) images. The average reconstruction errors of 1.5116 mm and 2.1674 mm with percentage errors of 0.8892% and 1.2749% respectively suggest high accuracy of the i-HEM algorithm in vascular shape reconstruction. Additionally, the MRI compatibility of the flexible catheter device is validated with a signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio of 2.90%. This study provides a feasible solution for diagnosing vascular intervention using FBGs.