Spectroscopy of Deeply-Scattered Light
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for identifying vulnerable plaque in a wall of an artery, the apparatus comprising:
- a catheter defining a longitudinal axis;
first and second fibers parallel to the longitudinal axis;
a first fixed beam redirector in optical communication with the first fiber for directing a beam from the first fiber along a first line;
a second fixed beam redirector in optical communication with the second fiber for directing a beam from the second fiber along a second line;
wherein;
a first line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis extends between the first line and the second line;
a second line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis extends between the first line and the second line; and
a distance between the second line segment and the longitudinal axis is greater than a distance between the first line segment and the longitudinal axis,and wherein the first and second beam redirectors are oriented such that the second line segment is longer than the first line segment.
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Abstract
A spectroscope includes first and second beam redirectors in optical communication with first and second fibers respectively. The first and second beam redirectors are oriented to illuminate respective first and second areas. The second area is separated from the first area by a separation distance that exceeds the separation distance between the first and second beam redirectors.
37 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An apparatus for identifying vulnerable plaque in a wall of an artery, the apparatus comprising:
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a catheter defining a longitudinal axis; first and second fibers parallel to the longitudinal axis; a first fixed beam redirector in optical communication with the first fiber for directing a beam from the first fiber along a first line; a second fixed beam redirector in optical communication with the second fiber for directing a beam from the second fiber along a second line; wherein; a first line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis extends between the first line and the second line; a second line segment parallel to the longitudinal axis extends between the first line and the second line; and a distance between the second line segment and the longitudinal axis is greater than a distance between the first line segment and the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first and second beam redirectors are oriented such that the second line segment is longer than the first line segment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus for detecting light scattered from within a wall of an artery, the apparatus comprising:
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a catheter defining a longitudinal axis; first and second fibers extending along the longitudinal axis; means for causing a beam emerging from the first fiber to travel along a first line in a direction away from the catheter; means for causing a beam traveling along a second line in a direction toward the catheter to enter the second fiber; wherein a minimum distance between the first line and the second line increases with distance from the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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- 20. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one of the means for causing a beam emerging from the first fiber to travel along a first line in a direction away from the catheter and the means for causing a beam traveling along a second line in a direction toward the catheter to enter the second fiber comprises a mirror.
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27. An apparatus for collecting light scattered from within a wall of an artery, the apparatus comprising:
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a catheter defining an axis; a first fiber extending along the axis to a first point; a second fiber extending along the axis to a second point distal to the first point; a first beam redirector in optical communication with the first fiber to redirect light emerging from the first fiber towards a first location on the wall; and a second beam redirector in optical communication with the second fiber for redirecting light emerging from the second fiber to a second location on the wall, the second location being distal to the first location; wherein the distance between the first and second locations is greater than the distance between the first and second points.
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Specification