Tissue ablating device having a deflectable ablation area and method of using same
First Claim
1. An apparatus for ablating biological tissue having a deflectable ablation area, comprising:
- an elongated catheter having a distal end, a proximal end, an elongated body portion, and a first cross-sectional area at said distal end when said catheter is in an undeflected state including;
a sheath,a plurality of optical fibers located within said sheath and extending between said proximal end and said distal end of said catheter, each optical fiber in said plurality of optical fibers having distal end and an end surface at said distal end, wherein an ablation area is located at said distal end of said elongated catheter, said ablation area being defined by a closed figure that encompasses said end surfaces of all of said optical fibers, said optical fibers generally pointing in an axial direction of said elongated catheter when said catheter is in said undeflected state, anddeflecting means for selectively deflecting all of said optical fibers generally away from said axial direction of said elongated catheter such that at least a portion of said ablation area extends beyond said first cross-sectional area of said catheter and such that an amount of light energy over said entire ablation area remains constant whether or not said deflecting means is actuated, said deflecting means being contained within said sheath.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for ablating biological tissue having a deflectable ablation area including an elongated catheter having a distal end, a proximal end, and an elongated body portion. A plurality of optical fibers extend between the proximal and distal ends of the catheter. The distal ends of all of the plurality of optical fibers define an ablation area at the distal end of the catheter. The catheter includes a device for selectively deflecting the distal ends of all of the optical fibers so that at least a portion of the ablation area extends beyond an area defined by the cross-sectional area of the catheter while the amount of light energy over the entire ablation area remains constant.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for ablating biological tissue having a deflectable ablation area, comprising:
an elongated catheter having a distal end, a proximal end, an elongated body portion, and a first cross-sectional area at said distal end when said catheter is in an undeflected state including; a sheath, a plurality of optical fibers located within said sheath and extending between said proximal end and said distal end of said catheter, each optical fiber in said plurality of optical fibers having distal end and an end surface at said distal end, wherein an ablation area is located at said distal end of said elongated catheter, said ablation area being defined by a closed figure that encompasses said end surfaces of all of said optical fibers, said optical fibers generally pointing in an axial direction of said elongated catheter when said catheter is in said undeflected state, and deflecting means for selectively deflecting all of said optical fibers generally away from said axial direction of said elongated catheter such that at least a portion of said ablation area extends beyond said first cross-sectional area of said catheter and such that an amount of light energy over said entire ablation area remains constant whether or not said deflecting means is actuated, said deflecting means being contained within said sheath. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for ablating an obstruction comprising the steps of:
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positioning a distal end of a catheter near said obstruction, said catheter including a sheath encompassing a portion of said catheter and a plurality of optical fibers extending from a proximal end to said distal end of said catheter, each optical fiber in said plurality of optical fibers having a distal end and an end surface at said distal end, wherein an ablation area is located at said distal end of said catheter, said ablation area being defined by a closed figure that encompasses said end surfaces of all of said optical fibers, said optical fibers generally pointing in an axial direction of said elongated catheter when in an undeflected state, and said catheter having a first cross-sectional area when in said undeflected state; and deflecting said optical fibers generally away from said axial direction of said elongated catheter via a deflecting device contained within said sheath such that at least a portion of said ablation area extends beyond an area defined by said first cross-sectional area of said catheter and such that an amount of light energy over said entire ablation area remains constant whether or not said optical fibers are deflected. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification