Patent ID: 8035819

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting vulnerable plaque within a vessel defined by a vessel wall, the apparatus comprising: a probe having a distal portion and a proximal portion, wherein the distal end is adapted for insertion into a vessel; an optical source configured to provide broadband optical radiation; an optical waveguide extending along the probe and having a distal end, the optical waveguide being configured to carry optical radiation from the optical source between the distal and proximal portions; a beam splitter coupled to the optical waveguide, the beam splitter configured to split incoming optical radiation into a reference signal and measurement signal for subsurface imaging of a wall of the vessel and to recombine a reference signal and a measurement signal to produce an interference signal; a spectrally sensitive optical detector configured to receive the interference signal and generate a second signal as a function of detected wavelength; and wherein the apparatus is further configured to implement a second vessel wall imaging modality and wherein the beam splitter coupled to the optical waveguide comprises two beam splitters, the first beam splitter being configured to split incoming optical radiation into a reference signal and measurement signal for subsurface imaging of a wall of the vessel and the second beam splitter being configured to recombine a reference signal and a measurement signal to produce an interference signal.