Coronary sinus cannulation
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of visually locating a vessel within a body lumen, comprising:
- intravascularly advancing a deployment catheter towards a tissue region at a first location of a vessel of a subject;
expanding a fluid barrier to define an open area against or adjacent to the tissue region, the open area being created by expansion of the fluid barrier, wherein the open area is in fluid communication with an environment external to the fluid barrier;
displacing an opaque fluid with a transparent fluid from the open area defined by the fluid barrier and the tissue region such that the opaque fluid is displaced into the environment external to the fluid barrier;
visually assessing the tissue region at the first location through the transparent fluid by viewing the tissue region via an optical imaging element attached to an inner surface of the fluid barrier;
after visually assessing the tissue region and after expanding the fluid barrier, expanding a balloon positioned along the inner surface of the fluid barrier with a pressurized fluid to at least partially expand the balloon;
visually assessing the tissue region at the first location through the expanded balloon with the optical imaging element; and
repositioning the fluid barrier from the first location to a second location based upon a visual appearance of the tissue region at the first location over an ostium of the vessel.
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Abstract
Coronary sinus cannulation apparatus and methods relating to tissue visualization catheters that can locate and/or cannulate a morphological feature within a body lumen, such as the coronary sinus, are described. Such devices can also perform a variety of therapeutic tissue treatments under direct in vivo visualization thereafter. Moreover, such apparatus and methods may also be utilized with guidewires to facilitate delivery into the coronary sinus to eliminate repositioning of the device and/or repeating an entire sequence of operations, consequently improving procedure effectiveness and reducing procedure time.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of visually locating a vessel within a body lumen, comprising:
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intravascularly advancing a deployment catheter towards a tissue region at a first location of a vessel of a subject; expanding a fluid barrier to define an open area against or adjacent to the tissue region, the open area being created by expansion of the fluid barrier, wherein the open area is in fluid communication with an environment external to the fluid barrier; displacing an opaque fluid with a transparent fluid from the open area defined by the fluid barrier and the tissue region such that the opaque fluid is displaced into the environment external to the fluid barrier; visually assessing the tissue region at the first location through the transparent fluid by viewing the tissue region via an optical imaging element attached to an inner surface of the fluid barrier; after visually assessing the tissue region and after expanding the fluid barrier, expanding a balloon positioned along the inner surface of the fluid barrier with a pressurized fluid to at least partially expand the balloon; visually assessing the tissue region at the first location through the expanded balloon with the optical imaging element; and repositioning the fluid barrier from the first location to a second location based upon a visual appearance of the tissue region at the first location over an ostium of the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15)
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12. A method of visually locating a vessel within a body lumen, comprising:
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intravascularly advancing a deployment catheter towards a tissue region at a first location of a vessel of a subject; expanding a fluid barrier defining an open area against or adjacent to the tissue region, the open area being created by expansion of the fluid barrier, where the open area is in fluid communication with an environment external to the fluid barrier; displacing an opaque fluid with a transparent fluid from the open area defined by the fluid barrier and the tissue region such that the opaque fluid is displaced into the environment external to the fluid barrier; visually assessing the tissue region at the first location through a balloon and the transparent fluid by visualizing the tissue region via an imaging element attached to an inner surface of the fluid barrier, while the balloon is in a collapsed state; visually assessing the tissue region at the first location through the balloon with the imaging element attached to an inner surface of the fluid barrier, while the balloon is in an expanded state; and repositioning the fluid barrier from the first location to a second location based upon a visual appearance of the tissue region at the first location over an ostium of the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification