Device, system, and method for imaging and tissue characterization of ablated tissue

A method of ablating and characterizing a scanned object in a patient, the method comprising:

• directing a first ablative energy from an ablative element toward an anatomical wall of the scanned object while the ablative element is positioned adjacent to the anatomical wall, wherein the ablative element and an imaging apparatus are disposed on a catheter;
• emitting, with the imaging apparatus, imaging energy toward the scanned object while the imaging apparatus is positioned adjacent to the anatomical wall;
• receiving, at a processor in communication with the imaging apparatus, signals representative of reflections of the emitted imaging energy from the scanned object;
• determining, with the processor, one or more signal properties of the scanned object from the signals representative of the reflections of the emitted imaging energy;
• associating, with the processor, the one or more signal properties to pre-determined signal properties of a tissue component and a plurality of ablation levels for the tissue component;
• identifying, with the processor and based on the associating, the tissue component of the anatomical wall and an ablation level of the tissue component resulting from the first ablative energy, wherein the anatomical wall comprises a wall of a blood vessel, wherein the ablation level is identified as a first ablation level of the plurality of ablation levels;
• determining, based on the identifying, if ablation of the tissue component resulting from the first ablative energy is therapeutically effective;
• and
• directing, when the ablation is not therapeutically effective, a second ablative energy from the ablative element toward the anatomical wall to cause at least a second ablation level of the plurality of ablation levels for the tissue component.