Patent ID: 8932223
Filing Date: 2015-01-13
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An intravascular ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging and therapeutic device comprising: a catheter with a proximal end and a distal end; one or more intravascular ultrasound imaging and therapeutic units comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end comprises one or more single-element ultrasound transducers, one or more ultrasound arrays or a combinations thereof, wherein the proximal end comprises a port connecting the one or more ultrasound units to one or more ultrasound pulser-receivers; one or more optical units comprising a proximal end and a distal end combination, wherein the distal end comprises one or more optical fibers, one or more optical bundles or a combination of both and one or more light delivery systems comprising micro-optics mounted on one or more optical fibers or one or more optical bundles or based on total internal reflection of the optical fiber, wherein the proximal end comprises a port to couple at least one optical unit to at least one of a pulsed light source or a continuous wave (CW) light source, wherein: an ultrasound pulser-receiver connected to the proximal end of the one or more ultrasound imaging and therapeutic units; a light source connected to the proximal end of the one or more optical units comprising one of a pulsed light source having a pulsed laser fluence and a CW light source having a CW laser fluence; and an imager connected to the proximal end of the catheter, to the pulser-receiver and to pulsed light source to capture one or more ultrasound, photoacoustic and elasticity images, wherein a majority of a laser and ultrasound energy is uni-directionally directed at the target tissue and the imager is capable of a reconstruction of a distribution of an ultrasound impedance, a shear elastic modulus and an absorbing tissues deposition in an imaged target tissue cross-section and of performing an optical therapy, an acoustic therapy or both.