Volcano Corporation

Hewlett-packard Company

Lightlab Imaging, Inc.

Other

Perfusion Technology, LLC

Sunnybrook Health Science Centre

Novelis Investments

Paul A Magnin

Russell W Bowden

John W Goodnow

Edward I McNamara

Rodney J Solomon

Joseph M Schmitt

Christopher L Petersen

Ulrich R Herken

Karl E Thiele

Ronald B Lamport

Graham Arnold Wright

Eric Arthur Swanson

David Lipschutz

Michael Atlas

Barry F Hunt

Steven C Leavitt

Perry Radau

Alwyn P D'Sa

Tomohiro Hasegawa

Albert Kyle

Stephen E Lincoln

John J Graham

Alexander J Dick

A method and system for imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating an area of interest in a patient's body is provided. More particularly, a manually steered 'rapid exchange' type catheter for a system for imaging, diagnosing, and/or an area of interest in a patient's body is provided. The catheter comprises a catheter body configured to be introduced to an area of interest in a patient's body, a device for imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating the area of interest contained within the catheter body, and a manual steering device attached to the imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating device to allow an operator to manually steer the imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating device, wherein the catheter is configured to be mounted on a commercially available guidewire.

Method and system for imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating an area of interest in a patient's body

A method and system for imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating an area of interest in a patient's body is provided. More particularly, a manually steered 'rapid exchange' type catheter for a system for imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating an area of interest in a patient's body is provided. The catheter comprises a catheter body configured to be introduced to an area of interest in a patient's body, a device for imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating the area of interest contained within the catheter body, and a manual steering device attached to the imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating device to allow an operator to manually steer the imaging, diagnosing, and/or treating device, wherein the catheter is configured to be mounted on a commercially available guidewire.

An intravascular ultrasound catheter system is provided and enables a simplified, economical technique for ultrasound visualization of a blood vessel. The catheter may include a park ablation system for crossing chronic total occlusions and severe stenoses. The catheter is advanceable and is oriented entirely under manual control of the clinician and the application of radiofrequency energy for spark erosion of the stenosis also is controlled manually by the clinician. The system enables the clinician to observe an ultrasound image sufficiently to determine where to orient the ablation electrode so as to reduce the risk of dissection or perforation of the blood vessel. The ultrasound image is generated in response to manual rotation of the catheter and the ablation spark is generated only when the physician is satisfied as to the orientation of the electrode within the vessel.

Apparatus and methods for low-cost intravascular ultrasound imaging and for crossing severe vascular occlusions

Apparatus and methods for intravascular ultrasound imaging and for crossing severe vascular occlusions

A system and method are provided for significantly reducing or substantially eliminating angular geometric distortions in devices designed for imaging and/or inspection of an interior portion or surface of a cavity. A series of processing steps or methods may be employed to eliminate Non-Uniform Rotational Distortion (NURD) in such devices, for example, unidirectional and bi-directional intravascular ultrasonic (IVUS) imaging systems. The system may include a processor and an electronic module which control operation of a transducer assembly provided at a distal end of a catheter assembly. The system invokes a first processing step or method to collect and store raw angle and line data, as well as one or more of second and third processing steps or methods which adjust for NURD experienced during backlash of a bi-directional imaging system and a fourth processing step or method which performs a line-to-line correlation function.

System and method for reducing angular geometric distortion in an imaging device

An intravascular ultrasound catheter system is provided and enables a simplified, economical technique for ultrasound visualization of a blood vessel. The catheter may include a spark ablation system for crossing chronic total occlusions and severe stenoses. The catheter is advanceable and is oriented entirely under manual control of the clinician and the application of radiofrequency energy for spark erosion of the stenosis also is controlled manually by the clinician. The system enables the clinician to observe an ultrasound image sufficiently to determine where to orient the ablation electrode so as to reduce the risk of dissection or perforation of the blood vessel. The ultrasound image is generated in response to manual rotation of the catheter and the ablation spark is generated only when the physician is satisfied as to the orientation of the electrode within the vessel.

A method and device selectively and reversibly disrupts the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in a selected volume of the brain without the need for exogenous agents. The method and device employ low intensity directed ultrasound (LODUS) that is safe, reduces the danger of cavitation and thermal tissue damage, and is able to expose small or large regions of the brain to achieve a desired therapeutic or prophylactic effect.

Low intensity directed ultrasound (LODUS) mediated blood brain barrier disruption

An apparatus and method for rendering for display forward-looking image data. The apparatus includes rendering for display image data from a forward-looking conical section of tissue collected by an image data collection device, comprising a data input unit configured to receive the image data; and an image data processing unit configured to rasterize the image data onto a projected three-dimensional geometric model to produce a rasterized image, thereby giving the appearance of three-dimensions when displayed. The method includes a method of rendering for display image data from a forward-looking conical section of tissue collected by an image data collecting device, comprising receiving the image data; and rasterizing the image data onto a projected three-dimensional geometric model to produce a rasterized image, thereby giving the appearance of three dimensions when displayed.

Apparatus and method for rendering for display forward-looking image data

Optical probes having a diameter less than substantially 500 &#x3bc;m for use in scanning light from a long, highly flexible fiber to a sample. In one embodiment the probe includes a viscous damping fluid suitable to prevent non-uniform rotational distortion (NURD).

Scanning miniature optical probes with optical distortion correction and rotational control

Methods and apparatuses are provided for performing optical imaging on a sample. The method and apparatuses continually adjust the path-length of a reference arm or data acquisition in a manner such that imaging information is obtained only from a longitudinal range that contains a selective portion of a sample from which imaging information is to be obtained. The apparatuses include a starting point adjustment device that determines a point with respect to a sample at which imaging information collection is to be started. A controller then controls a second scanning mechanism, in addition to a first scanning mechanism, such that imaging information is obtained only from a longitudinal range that contains a selective portion of a sample from which imaging information is to be obtained. In this way, the amount of data collected can be reduced to that within the area of interest.

Apparatus and method for selective data collection and signal to noise ratio enhancement using optical coherence tomography

The median value of data values at the intersections of each of a plurality of coordinates of one type with a plurality of coordinates of another type are respectively derived and the median of the data values thus selected is used as the display value at any of the intersections.

Apparatus for forming flow-map images using two-dimensional spatial

This invention teaches method and apparatus for determining backscatter attenuation, for utilizing backscatter attenuation to determine the absolute value of quantitative backscatter from a selected point of the body and/or displaying the absolute value of quantitative backscatter in a unique way. More particularly, backscatter from a selected point in the body resulting from a transmitted ultrasonic signal is detected and the quantitative value of the backscatter signal determined. The invention then determines the backscatter attenuation for moving blood at a particular point which is close to the selected point. The determined backscatter attenuation for blood is then utilized to perform an attenuation correction on the detected backscatter signal, thereby providing the absolute value of quantitative backscatter. The determined absolute value of quantitative backscatter may be color mapped on a display device by, for example, utilizing the absolute value of quantitative backscatter to control at least the color and intensity of the portion of the display imaging the selected point.

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Andover, MA, United States of America

Paul A Magnin