Patent ID: 7734332

Claim:
A method for reducing restriction of blood flow in a lumen of a blood vessel caused by an intraluminal plaque therein, the method comprising: (a) inserting an imaging guidewire into the lumen of the blood vessel up to the intraluminal plaque without traversing the plaque, said imaging guidewire having a distal tip that includes imaging components capable of generating a cross-sectional image of the lumen, at least a portion of said distal tip having a diameter that is larger than a rest of said guidewire having a smaller diameter; (b) propelling a catheter over said imaging guidewire towards said intraluminal plaque until said catheter reaches said distal end of said guidewire, said catheter having a working head located at a distal tip of said catheter, said working head configured for removal of at least a portion of the intraluminal plaque, said catheter and said working head deployed on said imaging guidewire so as to accept passage of said rest of said imaging guidewire having said smaller diameter axially through a central region of said working head and said catheter as said catheter propelled towards said intraluminal plaque, and when said catheter reaches said distal tip of said guidewire at least a portion of said imaging components are positioned inside said working head and a portion of said distal tip the only element of either of said imaging guidewire and said catheter extending in front of said working head; (c) scanning the lumen with said imaging guidewire to generate said cross-sectional image of the lumen; (d) positioning said catheter in the lumen by actuating at least one positioning element; (e) monitoring said cross sectional image to ascertain that said working head is positioned at a desired location with respect to said proximal end of the intraluminal plaque; and (f) operating said working head to remove at least a portion of the intraluminal plaque.