Catheter for treating vulnerable plaque

A method for removing core material from one or more plaque deposits on an inside wall of a blood vessel, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a catheter having an elongate shaft with a proximal end and a distal end, an inflatable balloon disposed about a portion of the elongated shaft proximate the distal end of the elongate shaft, one or more collection lumens each having a proximal end fluidly coupled to a suction means and a distal end disposed proximate of the balloon;
• inserting the distal end of the catheter into a lumen of the blood vessel;
• positioning the balloon proximate a plaque deposit;
• inflating the balloon to engage the inner surface of the blood vessel and the one or more plaque deposits and rupturing the plaque deposits in one or more locations urging the core material from the plaque deposits;
• collecting the urged core material from a location proximate of the balloon using the distal end of the one or more collection lumens;
• and
• extracting the urged core material from the lumen of the blood vessel with suction means fluidly coupled to the proximal ends of the one or more collection lumens.