Vision catheter
First Claim
1. A vision catheter, comprising:
- an image channel comprising one or more imaging fibers and a distal end and a proximal end;
a vibration generator for vibrating the distal end, and a lens located in front of the distal end.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A catheter with a small optical fiber or bundle of fibers includes a scanning mechanism constructed with the use of any vibration capable component. Magnetic, piezoelectric or other mechanisms are used to vibrate the end of the fiber and thus create a scanning effect which extends the field of view. One or more lenses may be utilized, including a lens attached to the distal tip of the image fiber, or a lens attached to the distal tip of the catheter for creating an image plane which can be scanned by the fiber. In one embodiment, multiple light sources may be connected to the fiber for enabling the use of field sequential color techniques for real-time imaging, as well as real-time fluorescent imaging for disease detection. A photodetector assembly connected to the proximal end may contain both filtered and unfiltered detectors for use with both standard imaging and fluorescent imaging. The resulting vision catheter is relatively inexpensive and disposable.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vision catheter, comprising:
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an image channel comprising one or more imaging fibers and a distal end and a proximal end;
a vibration generator for vibrating the distal end, and a lens located in front of the distal end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A vision catheter, comprising:
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an image channel comprising one or more imaging fibers, one or more illumination fibers, a distal end and a proximal end;
a vibration generator for vibrating the distal end; and
a plurality of light sources for providing light to the one or more illumination fibers. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. An imaging system for use in surgical procedures, comprising:
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an imaging channel comprising one or more fibers; and
a motion generator comprising first and second movement elements, the motion generator being operable to cause the first movement element to move relative to the second movement element, the first movement element being coupled to the one or more fibers. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification