Abstract: Improved catheters for clot removal. A catheter-containing light guide may be passed through a clot. Light may emanating from the light guide as the light guide is passed forward through the clot and/or is drawn back through the clot in order to ablate the clot. In one set of embodiments, the invention provides for methods and systems for delivering the light guide through the clot and for drawing it back through the clot to irradiate and/or ablate the clot. The invention provides, in another set of embodiments, methods and systems to deliver the light energy or radiation to the clot to perform ablation, for example during a single pass. The invention also provides, in yet another set of embodiments, methods and systems to increase the efficiency of the ablation, for example, by increasing the spot size.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for locally delivering an active agent to a selected site in a body lumen using a liquid core laser catheter having a flexible tube for insertion into the lumen, a conduit housed within the tube for coupling a flow of light transmissive liquid from an external source to the site, and an optical fiber housed within the tube for coupling laser energy from an external source to the site. In one embodiment, the conduit has a sidewall capable of internally reflecting light into the liquid in the conduit so that the liquid waveguides the laser energy through the conduit to the site.

Abstract: A method for contemporaneously applying laser energy and locally delivering pharmacologic therapy to a selected site in a body lumen using a liquid core or fiber optic laser catheter or angioscope. The method comprises preparing a solution of a pharmacologic agent, inserting the catheter into the lumen, directing the catheter to the site, transmitting visible light to the site, flowing the light transmissive liquid through the catheter to the site to be treated, positioning an emission end of the fiber near (.+-.2 mm) the distal end of the catheter, transmitting laser energy through the fiber to be emitted at the emission end of the fiber into the liquid to treat the site, and introducing a flow of the pharmacologic agent in solution into the catheter for contemporaneous discharge at the distal end into the lumen adjacent the site.