Treating a totally or near totally occluded lumen

摘要

A method and system for recanalizing a totally or near totally occluded body lumen such as an artery which has an elongated catheter shaft with means such as a cutting or ablating element at the distal end of the shaft to remove occluding material and with ultrasonic imaging means preferably located on the shaft proximal to the cutting or ablating element to allow the operator to maintain the radial position of the distal end of the catheter shaft within the body lumen so that no contact is made between the cutting or ablating means and the wall defining the body lumen. The imaging system preferably includes one or more ultrasonic transducers which emit ultrasound in a direction having a substantial radial component, or a substantial axial component or both. Ultrasonic energy reflected from the wall defining the body lumen is received by transducers which generate signals representing the received ultrasonic energy, which in turn are used to form an image of the wall on a video monitor and the radial location of the distal end of the catheter shaft or the means to remove occluding material. The image projected on the video monitor may then be used by the physician to control the position of the distal end of the catheter shaft and/or the means to remove occluding material within the body lumen.