OCT-IVUS CATHETER FOR CONCURRENT LUMINAL IMAGING

• US 20090043191A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Milner, Thomas E., Kemp, Nathaniel J., Rosenbaum, David G., Castella, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 10,219,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/425
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/486 involving arbitrary m-mode

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for in vivo imaging. More specifically, the present invention relates to a catheter that incorporates an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system and an Intravascular Ultrasound (“IVUS) system for concurrent imaging of luminal systems, such as imaging the vasculature system, including, without limitation, cardiac vasculature, peripheral vasculature and neural vasculature.

Claims

1. A catheter for imaging of luminal systems comprising:

a catheter body;

an optical coherence tomography optical assembly comprising an optical fiber, a lens, and a reflective element operably associated with the catheter body; and

an ultrasound transducer positioned longitudinally adjacent the optical coherence tomography optical assembly and in association with the catheter body.

2. The catheter of claim 1, further comprising electrical conduits coupled to the optical fiber and co-axial with the optical fiber to connect the ultrasound transducer to a power source.

3. The catheter of claim 2, wherein the electrical conduits operate as mechanical elements to transmit rotational motion to the ultrasound transducer and optical coherence tomography optical assembly.

4. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducer is positioned proximal the optical coherence tomography optical assembly.

5. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducer is positioned distal the optical coherence tomography optical assembly.

6. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducer is oriented to emit ultrasound energy axially along a longitudinal axis of the catheter.

7. The catheter of claim 6, wherein the optical coherence tomography optical assembly is oriented to emit optical energy generally radially relative to the longitudinal axis of the catheter.

8. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the optical coherence tomography assembly is oriented to scan a spatial area at least partially coinciding with a spatial area being scanned by the ultrasound transducer.

9. The catheter of claim 1, further comprising a display operably coupled to the ultrasound transducer and the optical coherence tomography optical assembly and where the display is configured to concurrently display signals received from each of the ultrasound transducer and the optical coherence tomography optical assembly in registration with each other.

10. A imaging catheter, comprising:

an optical coherence tomography optical assembly comprising an optical fiber, a ferrule, a lens, and a reflective element; and

an ultrasound transducer operably associated with the ferrule.

11. The catheter of claim 10, further comprising electrically conductive wires associated with the optical fiber that electrically connect the ultrasound transducer to a power source.

12. The catheter of claim 11, wherein the wires wrapped around optical fiber function as mechanical elements for transmitting rotational motion from the proximal to the distal end of the catheter.

13. The imaging catheter according to claim 11, wherein the electrically conductive wires further comprise metal films deposited on the optical fiber.

14. The imaging catheter according to claim 10, wherein ultrasound transducer is embedded within a wall of the ferrule.

15. The imaging catheter according to claim 10, wherein the ultrasound transducer is coupled to a wall surface of the ferrule.

16. The imaging catheter according to claim 10, wherein the reflective element of the optical coherence tomography optical assembly and the ultrasound transducer are each configured to scan at least partially overlapping spatial regions.

17. The imaging catheter of claim 10, further comprising a display operably coupled to the ultrasound transducer and the optical coherence tomography optical assembly and where the display is configured to concurrently display signals received from each of the ultrasound transducer and the optical coherence tomography optical assembly in registration with each other.