Device and method for intra-vascular optical radial imaging
First Claim
1. A guidewire compatible intra-vascular catheter for intra-vascular optical radial imaging, at least a portion of said intra-vascular catheter being insertable into a blood vessel, said insertable portion of said catheter comprising a hollow tubular member having a proximal end which receives light from a source of illumination and a distal end, and a central guidewire lumen forming a conduit therebetween, said insertable portion of said intra-vascular catheter further comprising a cylindrical optical fiber array surrounding and coaxial with said guidewire lumen, said array consisting of a multiplicity of individual optical fibers, each fiber terminating in a diffuser tip portion near the catheter'"'"'s distal end, and means for directing a narrow beam of light from the diffuser tip portion radially-outward to illuminate a target along the wall of the vessel to induce fluorescence in molecules therein, and means for receiving the return fluorescent signal from the tissue.
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Abstract
An intra-vascular optical radial imaging system comprising an intra-vascular guidewire-compatible catheter, a source of illumination and a synchronous fluorescence detector. The catheter is inserted into a blood vessel until the tip is adjacent to a section of vessel to be imaged. A narrow beam of light emanating radially from an aperture underlying the segment to be imaged repetitively illuminates segments of the wall of the vessel in a scanning or sweeping manner with the light of a wavelength that induces fluorescence in molecules in the tissue. Fluorescence from molecules in the illuminated tissue enters the catheter through the aperture and is conveyed to a spectral analyzer. Properties of the fluorescence signal are characteristic of the particular tissue and may be used to differentiate healthy tissue from atherosclerotic plaque. The method yields not only the longitudinal position of a lesion along a vessel but also the cylindrical coordinates by determining the circular or angular position of the lesion on the interior wall of the vessel.
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Citations
7 Claims
- 1. A guidewire compatible intra-vascular catheter for intra-vascular optical radial imaging, at least a portion of said intra-vascular catheter being insertable into a blood vessel, said insertable portion of said catheter comprising a hollow tubular member having a proximal end which receives light from a source of illumination and a distal end, and a central guidewire lumen forming a conduit therebetween, said insertable portion of said intra-vascular catheter further comprising a cylindrical optical fiber array surrounding and coaxial with said guidewire lumen, said array consisting of a multiplicity of individual optical fibers, each fiber terminating in a diffuser tip portion near the catheter'"'"'s distal end, and means for directing a narrow beam of light from the diffuser tip portion radially-outward to illuminate a target along the wall of the vessel to induce fluorescence in molecules therein, and means for receiving the return fluorescent signal from the tissue.
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5. A device for intra-vascular optical radial imaging comprising a guidewire compatible intra-vascular catheter having a distal end dimensioned for insertion into a patient'"'"'s blood vessel and a proximal end and a tubular body portion therebetween, said body portion comprising a plurality of coaxial concentric tubular members in which:
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(a) the outermost tubular member is an optically transparent sheath; (b) an optically opaque tube underlies said optically transparent sheath, said optically opaque tube being rotatably mounted to permit the opaque tube to spin, the opaque tube having an aperture in the wall thereof; (c) an optically transmissive member having a diffuser tip in optical communication therewith underlies said spinning tube; and (d) an optically reflective center tube underlies said optically transmissive member, the inner walls of which center tube form a guidewire lumen, said optically opaque tube being spaced from said overlying optically transparent sheath and said underlying optically transmissive member by an air space, said air space being maintained by at least two cylindrical spacer bearings surrounding said optically opaque tube.
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Specification