Patent ID: 8029766

Claim:
A method for intravascular imaging, the method comprising: (a) targeting a tissue area to be imaged with a medium of a contrasting agent including a chromophore, the contrasting agent including a chromophore having a molecular weight of less than 2 KD; (b) placing adjacent the tissue area an imaging device having a probe portion, a mechanism for directed emission, to surrounding tissue, light within a spectrum of wavelengths capable of exciting the contrasting agent, and a detector assembly on the probe portion for detecting light scattered and reflected from the contrasting agent in the surrounding tissue; (c) activating the device for directed emission of light to the surrounding tissue; advancing the device along the surrounding tissue; (d) detecting light scattered and reflected from the contrasting agent in the surrounding tissue; and generating, in real time, an image of the surrounding tissue from the detected light for display.