Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Infraredx, Inc.

Zhihua He

Nathaniel McCaffrey

Jason Sproul

Glen W McLaughlin

David Erickson

Disclosed is a high resolution intravascular ultrasound imaging system including a catheter with a rotatable imaging assembly and an image processor. The image processor in turn features a pulser configured to energize the ultrasound transducer of the rotatable imaging assembly with a multi-frequency ultrasound waveform signal. The image processor further contains a receiver configured to decompose received ultrasound energy as reflected by the target vessel into a plurality of individual subband signals, individually process these signals and reconstitute these signals into a high resolution image of the blood vessel. The IVUS system of the invention may be useful in characterizing cap thickness of vulnerable plaques or other detailed studies of blood vessels.

High resolution intravascular ultrasound imaging systems and methods

In one embodiment, an imaging method may include receiving an intensity value of a first spectral channel associated with a pixel location. The intensity value of the first spectral channel may be based on electromagnetic radiation reflected from an object after being emitted from a narrow-band electromagnetic radiation source. The method may further include defining an intensity value of a second spectral channel based on the intensity value of the first spectral channel. The second spectral channel may be associated with a spectral region of electromagnetic radiation different from a spectral region of electromagnetic radiation associated with the first spectral channel. The method may also include associating the intensity value of the second spectral channel with the pixel location.

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Reading, MA, United States of America

Zhihua He