Guidewire with imaging capability
First Claim
1. An improved imaging and interventional method wherein a target region is treated with an interventional catheter, said improvement comprising sweeping an ultrasonic signal radially within said target region using an imaging guidewire which is movably disposed within the interventional catheter to produce a cross-sectional image of the target region.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A guidewire imaging catheter includes a catheter body, housing secured to the distal end of the catheter body, a drive cable extending through a central lumen of the catheter body, and an imaging system disposed within the housing and coupled to the drive cable. A fixed guidewire is secured to the distal tip of the housing, and the catheter body is highly flexible while retaining sufficient torsional stiffness to allow the entire catheter to be used as a guidewire. Thus, the imaging guidewire can be used to first image a desired region within a patient'"'"'s vascular system and subsequently as a guidewire to allow placement of a desired interventional catheter.
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Citations
19 Claims
- 1. An improved imaging and interventional method wherein a target region is treated with an interventional catheter, said improvement comprising sweeping an ultrasonic signal radially within said target region using an imaging guidewire which is movably disposed within the interventional catheter to produce a cross-sectional image of the target region.
- 8. An improved imaging and balloon angioplasty method wherein a stenosed region in a blood vessel is treated with a balloon angioplasty catheter, said improvement comprising imaging the stenosed region using an imaging guidewire which is movably disposed in a lumen of the balloon angioplasty catheter to produce a cross-sectional image of the blood vessel.
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15. A method for imaging and treating a vascular stenosis, said method comprising:
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introducing an imaging guidewire to a patient'"'"'s vascular system; imaging at least a portion of the stenosis using the imaging guidewire to produce a cross-sectional image of the stenosis; introducing a balloon catheter having a guidewire lumen over the guidewire to position the balloon at the stenosis; and expanding the balloon within the stenosis while the balloon catheter remains over the imaging guidewire. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification