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US 5,601,087 AGranted
System for diagnosing tissue with guidewire
AssigneeSpectraScience, Inc.
InventorsRichard C. Gunderson, James S. Sharrow, Jeffrey A. McBroom
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a guidewire which incorporates an optical fiber and associated diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing tissue in vivo. Use of the present invention provides for diagnosis of tissue and tailoring of the therapeutic portion of the procedure to the tissue or condition identified by the guidewire and associated diagnostic apparatus.
Claims17
A tissue diagnosis and treatment system comprising:
- a) a guidewire comprising a hollow tube having a solid wall defined by inner and outer diameters, the tube further having proximal and distal ends, the hollow tube having sufficient torsional rigidity to transmit substantially all angular rotation applied at the proximal end to the distal end, flexible means attached to the distal end of the tube for providing flexibility at the distal end of the guidewire, the flexible means forming a hollow bore aligned axially with the tube, an optical fiber having proximal and distal ends, the optical fiber contained within the inner diameter of the hollow tube and bore of the flexible means and extending between the proximal and distal ends of the guidewire;
- and
- b) a diagnostic apparatus for spectroscopically diagnosing tissue, the diagnostic apparatus comprising:
- 1) a source of illumination adjacent the proximal end of the guidewire, the source providing illumination entering the proximal end of the optical fiber of the guidewire;
- and
- 2) means for analyzing returned illumination entering the distal end of the guidewire to provide a diagnosis of the tissue.
3 more elements
A tissue diagnosis and treatment system comprising:
- a) a guidewire comprising a hollow tube having a solid wall defined by inner and outer diameters, the tube further having proximal and distal ends, the hollow tube having sufficient torsional rigidity to transmit substantially all angular rotation applied at the proximal end to the distal end, flexible means attached to the distal end of the tube for providing flexibility at the distal end of the guidewire, the flexible means forming a hollow bore aligned axially with the tube, an optical fiber having proximal and distal ends, the optical fiber contained within the inner diameter of the hollow tube and bore of the flexible means and extending between the proximal and distal ends of the guidewire, wherein the guidewire has a maximum outer diameter that is less than or equal to about 0.018 inches, and wherein the flexible means enables the distal end of the guidewire to be formed into a desired shape;
- and
- b) a diagnostic apparatus for spectroscopically diagnosing tissue, the diagnostic apparatus comprising:
- 1) a source of illumination adjacent the proximal end of the guidewire, the source providing illumination entering the proximal end of the optical fiber of the guidewire;
- and
- 2) means for analyzing returned illumination entering the distal end of the guidewire to provide a diagnosis of the tissue;
- and
- c) a treatment catheter introduced over the guidewire for treating the tissue diagnosed using the diagnostic apparatus and the guidewire.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.