Apparatus for vascular mapping and methods of use

A method of mapping an interior surface of a section of a lumen of a patient's vasculature, the method comprising:

• inserting a guide wire percutaneously and transluminally within a lumen of a patient's vasculature;
• providing a catheter having a distal end, a portion defining a guide wire lumen, and a plurality of contacts circumferentially disposed on the distal end, each one of the plurality of contacts having a feature that varies as a function of a displacement imposed on the contact by the interior surface, the catheter configured for percutaneous, transluminal insertion in the patient's vasculature;
• inserting the catheter transluminally along the guide wire into a selected section of the lumen so that the plurality of contacts are displaced by the interior surface;
• measuring the feature for each one of the plurality of contacts;
• correlating the measured feature for each of the plurality of contacts to a displacement for each one of the plurality of contacts;
• and
• displaying the displacement for each one of the plurality of contacts.