Abstract: An apparatus including an ablation catheter having one or more optical probes attached, a system including such an apparatus and methods for using such an apparatus are disclosed herein. The optical probes may be utilized to monitor the depth of ablation in real-time during an ablation procedure, thus, reducing or eliminating the incidence of unintended injury to healthy or normal tissue during ablation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for treating a vascular occlusion and preventing or reducing ischemic consequences of such an obstruction. The medical device of the present invention may include an elongate body defining a proximal end and a distal end, where the elongate body may also define an injection lumen, an exhaust lumen, and a guidewire lumen. A first expandable element may be coupled to the elongate body, where the first expandable element is in fluid communication with the injection lumen and the exhaust lumen. Further, a perfusion path may be disposed within the elongate body, and a sheath may be movably disposed about at least a portion of the elongate body. The medical device may further include a second expandable element disposed about the elongate body, as well as second inflation and exhaust lumens.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for cooling a limited portion of a body organ by placing a cooling device into a blood vessel within a target organ; and activating the cooling device to cool tissue proximate the cooling device to a temperature below +34 degrees Centigrade. The blood vessel can be a vein or an artery and the cooling device can be a fixed diameter catheter or it can include a balloon. More particularly, the method of cooling can provide a method for treating injured ischemic and infarcted tissue by placing a device capable of passage through the vasculature into a target organ, wherein the device is capable of providing sufficient thermal exchange at a working region thereof to cool adjacent tissue; and activating the device to cool adjacent tissue to a temperature in the range of 0 degrees Centigrade to +36 degrees Centigrade.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for treating an aneurysm or vascular defect by cooling a target tissue region of the aneurysm or vascular defect to a temperature below body temperature for a preselected time period. The method entails thickening, strengthening, or increasing the density of a blood vessel wall by cooling the blood vessel wall with a cryogenically cooled device. The method also includes irradiating the inner wall of a blood vessel around an aneurysm or vascular defect with various forms of energy to delay or halt aneurysm or vascular defect formation. An energy-emitting element is disposed on the distal end portion of a catheter device to be disposed proximate the aneurysm. Various forms of energy, including visible light energy, laser light energy, ultrasound, microwave and radiofrequency sources may be used to irradiate and treat the aneurysm.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting plaque proximate an area of a human body is described, the method comprising the steps of moving one or more electrically sensitive sensors substantially near an area where plaque may be present, obtaining electrical signal readings from the sensors, and determining the presence or absence of plaque. The presence or absence of the plaque corresponds to the electrical signal readings. Another aspect of the invention provides a method for inhibiting plaque formation and passivating plaque formed on a lumenal surface of a body lumen. A cooling device is positioned at the lumenal surface at a point proximate to a plaque formation. The lumenal surface is cooled at the point proximate to the plaque formation to inhibit the progression of plaque formation in which the lumenal surface is cooled to a temperature of less than about zero degrees Celsius. As another aspect, a method is provided for reducing the risk of plaque rupture in a vessel.