Balloon perfusion catheter

An intravascular balloon catheter operable for administering a dosage of diffuse therapeutic light to uniformly illuminate the inner surface of a cylindrical portion of a blood vessel without interrupting the flow of blood through the blood vessel, said balloon catheter comprising:

• (a) a flexible elongate catheter body having a non-invasive proximal portion, a non-shadowing invasive distal portion terminating distally in a tip opening and a central lumen terminating at said tip opening, said catheter body being made from an outer sheath, a portion of which is optically transparent at said invasive distal portion, and an inner sheath disposed coaxially within said outer sheath;
• said catheter body further having an optically transparent inflatable balloon concentrically overlying said optically transparent portion of said outer sheath and affixed to said outer sheath to form a fluid-tight connection therewith, said balloon comprising an inflatable optically transparent outer shell enclosing an inner chamber;
• (b) a cylindrical light diffuser element disposed between said optically transparent portion of said outer sheath and said inner sheath under said balloon, said cylindrical light diffuser element having a proximal end adapted to receive light, said light diffuser element providing means operable for delivering treatment light to uniformly illuminate a circumferential portion of a blood vessel adjacent to and encircling said outer shell of said balloon;
• (c) multiple channels located between said inner and outer sheaths, said multiple channels extending from said proximal portion to said cylindrical light diffuser element, each of said channels being separate from each other and parallel to said central lumen, one of said channels being an inflation lumen in fluid communication with said inner chamber of said balloon for conducting the flow of an optically transparent fluid inflation medium therethrough;
• (d) an inflation fluid injection port mounted on said exterior surface of said non-invasive portion of said catheter body, said fluid injection port operable for introducing an optically transparent inflation medium into said inflation lumen;
• (e) a fiber optic array disposed within another one of said multiple channels, said fiber optic array having a proximal end adapted to receive treatment light from a light source, and a distal end operatively connected to said cylindrical light diffuser element, said fiber optic array operable for conducting treatment light from said proximal end to said diffuser element;
• (f) a first opening in said outer sheath of said invasive distal end of said catheter body proximal to said balloon and a second opening in said inner sheath proximal to said diffuser element, said first and second openings being in fluid communication with one of said multiple channels, said second opening further in fluid communication with said central lumen, said openings and said multiple channel forming a perfusion channel providing fluid communication between the exterior of said catheter body and said central lumen operable for continued blood flow through a blood vessel during treatment even though the blood vessel may be occluded by said balloon when said balloon is inflated.