Patent ID: 9468417
Filing Date: 2016-10-18
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A method comprising: inserting an intravascular measurement device into a body of a patient; controlling the intravascular measurement device to acquire a first measurement signal, the first measurement signal being indicative of a physical dimension of a blood vessel having a stenotic lesion during a first blood flow rate, the first measurement signal comprising a first distal measurement signal indicative of the physical dimension of the blood vessel at a location distal to the stenotic lesion and a first proximal measurement signal indicative of the physical dimension of the blood vessel at a location proximal to the stenotic lesion, the location proximal to the stenotic lesion not surpassing any portion of the stenotic lesion; controlling the intravascular measurement device to acquire a second measurement signal, the second measurement signal being indicative of the physical dimension of the blood vessel having the stenotic lesion during a second blood flow that is greater than the first blood flow rate, the second measurement signal comprising a second distal measurement signal indicative of the physical dimension of the blood vessel at the location distal to the stenotic lesion and a second proximal measurement signal indicative of the physical dimension of the blood vessel at the location proximal to the stenotic lesion; and determining, with a processor, a value representative of a change in the physical dimension of the blood vessel between the first blood flow rate and the second blood flow rate based on the first measurement signal and the second measurement signal, wherein determining the value representative of the change in the physical dimension of the blood vessel between the first and second blood flow rates comprises (i) generating a distal dilation value by determining a difference between the physical dimension of the blood vessel at the location distal to the stenotic lesion during the second blood flow rate and the physical dimension of the blood vessel at the location distal to the stenotic lesion during the first blood flow rate, (ii) generating a proximal dilation value by determining a difference between the physical dimension of the blood vessel at the location proximal to the stenotic lesion during the second blood flow rate and the physical dimension of the blood vessel at the location proximal to the stenotic lesion during the first blood flow rate, and (iii) comparing the distal dilation value to the proximal dilation value to determine the value representative of the change in physical dimension of the blood vessel between the first and second blood flow rates.