Many image guided needle procedures use ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or other imaging systems. In such procedures, there is currently a preference for long axis injections and related procedures where the long axis of the needle is parallel to the plane of the two dimensional images created by the imaging system. This is due to the fact that long axis imaging of a needle provides good visual indication of depth of penetration of the needle, whereas short axis imaging shows only a dot or small circle, which is the cross section of the needle and provides no depth of penetration information. Many procedures, however, benefit from, or require the use of, short axis imaging.The depth advancement marker needle of the present invention provides a feature along the shaft of the needle that provides a visual indicator of depth of penetration while performing short axis imaging.
