Optical probes for imaging narrow vessels or lumens

Abstract

Disclosed are optical probes and methods for use of such probes. In one embodiment, an optical probe includes a housing that is sized and configured to be passed through a lumen having an inner diameter no greater than approximately 2 millimeters, and an internal optical system provided within the housing, the optical system being configured to capture images of a feature of interest associated with the lumen. In another embodiment, an optical probe includes a housing configured for passage through a narrow lumen, and an internal optical system provided within the housing that is configured to capture images of a feature of interest associated with the lumen, the optical system including axicon optics that form a focal line rather than a discrete focal point. In one embodiment, a method includes advancing an optical probe through the lumen to position the probe adjacent the feature of interest, and imaging the feature of interest across a depth of the feature of interest with invariance of resolution using an internal optical system of the probe.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.