The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 24, 1995
Filed:
Nov. 18, 1992
Michael L Auer, Chanhassen, MN (US);
Victor I Chornenky, Edina, MN (US);
Peter T Fettig, St. Louis Park, MN (US);
Richard C Gunderson, Maple Grove, MN (US);
Jeffrey A McBroom, Champlin, MN (US);
James S Sharrow, Bloomington, MN (US);
SpectraScience, Inc., Minnetonka, MN (US);
Abstract
A catheter comprising a unitary guidewire and single mode optical fiber is used to illuminate human body channels, such as a tissue mass within a blood vessel, for purposes of diagnosis. A low coherent light source illuminates the tissue and provides a reference beam. Illumination that is reflected from the tissue is combined with the reference beam in an interferometer process. The path length of the reference beam is changed in a known manner in order to provide a known reference to the distance inside of the tissue from which reflected radiation is being received, thus providing information as to both the nature and the geometry of the tissue. A high signal to noise ratio is provided.