Guarded Imaging Devices and Methods
AssigneeVolcano Corporation
InventorJeffery H. Brown
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated therapeutic and imaging device that uses at least two balloons to provide a guarded zone that can be evacuated and replaced with a fluid that is sufficiently clear to permit optical coherence tomography (or even high resolution ultrasound) imaging that would otherwise be of poor quality or impossible. Methods of making and operating the imaging device to obtain clear, high quality images, as well as treating a patient's tissue with the device within a living body in association with obtaining an image of the patient's tissue, are included.
Claims36
An imaging device having a proximal portion and proximal end, and a distal portion and distal end, which comprises:
- a first balloon assembly in a distal position, which comprises:
- a first balloon;
- and
- a first connection lumen that extends from the proximal portion into the first balloon to permit transfer of a fluid therebetween so as to independently inflate or deflate the first balloon;
- a second balloon assembly in a proximal position relative to the first balloon assembly, which second balloon assembly comprises:
- a second balloon;
- and
- a second connection lumen that extends from the proximal portion into the second balloon to permit transfer of a fluid therebetween so as to independently inflate or deflate the second balloon;
- a guarded zone disposed between the first and second balloon assemblies that is coupled to at least a first guarded zone lumen that extends from the guarded zone to the proximal portion;
- an imaging component that is disposed in the guarded zone and that is configured to image an adjacent tissue zone of a patient;
- and
- a flexible, elongate body joining at least the first and second balloon assemblies, the guarded zone, and the imaging component.
A method for imaging a tissue zone in a patient which comprises:
- inserting from a proximal zone, a flexible, elongate body comprising first and second inflatable zones that are inflatable in vivo and an imaging component disposed in a guarded zone defined by a region between the first and second inflatable zones, to a distal position adjacent a tissue zone to be imaged;
- providing through an irrigation lumen, which extends between the proximal zone and the guarded zone, an imaging fluid that is adapted to conduct a signal therethrough that is emitted by the imaging component;
- and
- obtaining an image of the tissue zone with the imaging component.
A method for treating a tissue zone in a patient which comprises:
- inserting from a proximal zone, a flexible, elongate body comprising first and second inflatable zones that are inflatable in vivo, to a distal position in a patient's vessel;
- inserting a treatment lumen that extends from the proximal zone to a distal portion of the flexible, elongate body that is distal to the first and second inflatable zones and adjacent the tissue zone to be treated;
- inflating at least one of the first and second inflatable zones sufficiently so as to block the vessel;
- and
- then treating the tissue zone with a therapeutic agent administered through the treatment lumen while at least one of the first and second inflatable zones is inflated.
A method of forming an in vivo imaging device which comprises:
- providing a flexible, elongate body having proximal portion and a distal portion;
- and
- disposing within the flexible, elongate body an imaging system which comprises:
- a first balloon assembly in a distal position, which comprises:
- a first balloon;
- and
- a first connection lumen that extends from the proximal portion into the first balloon to permit transfer of a fluid therebetween so as to independently inflate or deflate the first balloon;
- a second balloon assembly in a proximal position relative to the first balloon assembly, which second balloon assembly comprises:
- a second balloon;
- and
- a second connection lumen that extends from the proximal portion into the second balloon to permit transfer of a fluid therebetween so as to independently inflate or deflate the second balloon;
- a guarded zone disposed between the first and second balloon assemblies that is coupled to at least a first guarded zone lumen that extends from the guarded zone to the proximal portion;
- and
- an imaging component that is disposed in the guarded zone and that is configured to image an adjacent tissue zone of a patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.