Patent ID: 8172757

Claim:
An elongate catheter having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein said elongate catheter is insertable, distal end first, into a natural or human-made lumen or cavity within the body of a mammalian patient, said elongate catheter comprising: a medical device with a functional component near said distal end of said elongate catheter, wherein said medical device is advanceable to a target location in the vicinity of said distal end of said elongate catheter; and an imaging probe having a rotatable shaft and a forward-looking imaging assembly, wherein said imaging assembly is attached to said rotatable shaft, wherein said imaging assembly is positionable near said distal end of said elongate catheter, said imaging assembly including a scanning mechanism, wherein said imaging assembly is configured to scan a field of view for determining a position of the target location within the patient's body relative to a trajectory on which said medical device will advance such that an image angle of said scanning mechanism may be varied by adjusting the rotational velocity of said rotatable shaft.