Visible fluorescence spectral diagnostic for laser angiosurgery
US4718417A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 1985 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/3598
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of diagnosis of the type of tissue in an artery, including distinguishing artery wall from atheromateous plaque is described, in which a catheter with one or more optical fibers is enclosed at a distal end by an optical shield transparent to light radiation and wherein the proximal end of the catheter and optical fibers are coupled to a source of optical radiation. The catheter is inserted into an artery until the optical shield is brought into contact with a suspected arterial lesion or other tissue to be diagnosed. An optical fiber is selected and light coupled from the source at a wavelength of about 480 nm enters the proximal end of the optical fiber and is transmitted by the selected optical fiber to the distal end out the optical shield and impineges on the suspected lesion. The scattered and fluorescence light is returned to the proximal end of the selected optical fiber, and is coupled to a spectral analyzer wherein the fluorescence or scattered light excited by said light is analyzed to determine if the material contacted by the optical shield and, in particular, the portion irradiated by the incident light from the selected optical fiber is healthy arterial tissu…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.