Guarded Imaging Devices and Methods

摘要

An integrated therapeutic and imaging device that uses at least two balloons to provide a guarded zone that can be evacuated and replaced with a fluid that is sufficiently clear to permit optical coherence tomography (or even high resolution ultrasound) imaging that would otherwise be of poor quality or impossible. Methods of making and operating the imaging device to obtain clear, high quality images, as well as treating a patient's tissue with the device within a living body in association with obtaining an image of the patient's tissue, are included.

主权项

1. An imaging device having a proximal portion and proximal end, and a distal portion and distal end, which comprises:
a first balloon assembly in a distal position, which comprises:
a first balloon; anda first connection lumen that extends from the proximal portion into the first balloon to permit transfer of a fluid therebetween so as to independently inflate or deflate the first balloon; a second balloon assembly in a proximal position relative to the first balloon assembly, which second balloon assembly comprises:
a second balloon; anda second connection lumen that extends from the proximal portion into the second balloon to permit transfer of a fluid therebetween so as to independently inflate or deflate the second balloon; a guarded zone disposed between the first and second balloon assemblies that is coupled to at least a first guarded zone lumen that extends from the guarded zone to the proximal portion; an imaging component that is disposed in the guarded zone and that is configured to image an adjacent tissue zone of a patient; and a flexible, elongate body joining at least the first and second balloon assemblies, the guarded zone, and the imaging component.