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:
Jul. 18, 2006
Filed:
Nov. 22, 2002
Morteza Naghavi, Houston, TX (US);
Morteza Naghavi, Houston, TX (US);
The Board Regents of the University System, Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
The present invention discloses a device and methods for characterizing vulnerable plaque and cancer tissue by measuring changes in tissue elasticity compared to that of normal tissue. The system includes a catheter with an expandable element at a proximal end. The expandable element is equipped with pressure sensors to detect changes in tissue elasticity and can be additionally equipped with sensors that detect tissue temperature and pH. For arterial tissue or tissue lining a body cavity, the device can also be equipped with width gauges that measure the diameter of the artery lumen or the width of any section of the body cavity. The distal end of the catheter may be attached to a motorized pullback device connected to a computer. Data collected by the device sensors are sent to the computer for processing and analysis.