Patent ID: 6193676
Filing Date: 2001-02-27
Classification: A61B,A61M

Abstract:
A guide wire assembly comprising:a guide wire having a first end, a second end, and a bore extending between said first end and said second end; andat least one guidance system coupled to said guide wire, said guidance system comprising a low coherence illumination source, a beam splitter, a first optic fiber having a length, a first end and a second end, a second optic fiber having a length, a first end and a second end, a fixed reflector on said second optic fiber second end, and a detecting element communicatively coupled to said first ends of said first and second optic fibers, said beam splitter configured to split a first light beam into a second light beam and a third light beam, said first optic fiber wrapped around a first piezo electric transducer, said second optic fiber wrapped around a second piezo electric transducer, wherein said first piezo electric transducer alters said first optic fiber length and said second piezo electric transducer alters said second optic fiber length to produce interferometric data, said first optic fiber coupled to said guide wire so that said second end of said first optic fiber is adjacent said second end of said guide wire, said detecting element configured to determine interference between the second light beam reflected through said first optic fiber and the third light beam reflected through said second optic fiber.