Percutaneous image-guided interventions are performed for a variety of clinical indications: to obtain tissue biopsies, to alleviate pain, and to treat diseases including a variety of malignancies. The efficacy of all of the above is directly related to accurate positioning of the procedural device using imaging guidance. The ability to achieve accurate positioning can be limited by a variety of technical factors including small lesion size, a lesion that is best seen on an imaging modality that is impractical for guiding intervention, and a lesion that is difficult to access or in a tenuous location. Electromagnetic navigation with image fusion has the ability to improve the speed and accuracy of percutaneous image-guided interventions by providing real-time feedback and allowing image overlay of diagnostic-imaging modalities with the guiding modality. The article discusses the technical aspects of electromagnetic navigation including potential clinical applications, procedures that may be facilitated by navigation, and inherent limitations of the technology.
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