There is provided a new apparatus, system, and method of use for laser speckle imaging that allows for omni-directional viewing. The omni-directional viewing can include a reflector and switches configured for switching the illumination on the luminal tissue such that the light reflected from the luminal tissue at any given time is reflected from one or more substantially non-overlapping sections of a luminal tissue. This apparatus may be particularly useful for tissue analysis such as analysis of vulnerable plaque.

A drive assembly for driving an imaging catheter has a rotatable fiber and a rotatable drive shaft. The drive assembly includes a fiber optic rotating junction and a motor configured to rotate the rotatable portion of the fiber optic rotating junction. In some embodiments, the drive assembly includes a sensor configured to detect a rotational position of the fiber optic rotating junction and a processor configured to obtain the detected rotational position and stop the motor only when the fiber optic rotating junction is in a predetermined rotational position. In some embodiments, the motor includes a hollow shaft through which at least a portion of the fiber optic rotating junction extends.

In some embodiments, endoscopy systems and/or methods of using endoscopy systems are described. In some embodiments, an endoscopy system comprises a shaft having an image sensor within a distal tip of the shaft. The shaft can have an expandable cuff disposed on an outer surface of the shaft. The expandable cuff can be moved from a contracted configuration to a deployed configuration. In the deployed configuration, an outer surface of the expandable cuff can inhibit, reduce, or prevent fluid (e.g., blood) flow in the vessel. Inhibiting or preventing the fluid flow can permit direct visualization of the interior of the vessel by the image sensor without interference from the fluid.

Disclosed herein is an endoscope comprising: an insertion tube; a radiation detector configured to detect radiation particles in a first range of energy and radiation particles in a second range of energy.

Described herein are devices, methods and kits for assessing and/or enhancing the accessibility of a subvalvular space of a heart, accessing the subvalvular space of the heart (e.g., to provide access for one or more other devices), and/or positioning one or more devices in the subvalvular space of the heart. The devices described herein may, for example, comprise catheters that may be used to manipulate one or more chordae tendineae, diagnostic catheters having different sizes and/or shapes (e.g., different curvatures), guide catheters having different sizes and/or shapes (e.g., different curvatures), and visualization catheters. In some variations, the devices, methods, and/or kits may be used to visualize a target site, such as a subannular groove of a heart valve. In certain variations, the devices, methods, and/or kits may be used to manipulate chordae tendineae to provide additional space in a ventricle of a heart (e.g., enhancing the accessibility of the ventricle).

A medical device includes an elongate shaft extending between a proximal portion and a distal portion defining a distal end. The shaft includes a puncture device having a puncturing tip at the distal end, a distally facing camera in the distal portion, and a lighting system comprising distally facing light emitter in the distal portion.

Delivery devices and vascular devices are described for addressing a target site within a body lumen. The delivery device includes one or more ultrasound transducers positioned to transmit and receive ultrasound signals so as to provide an image of an interior of the patient's blood vessel within which the vascular device is disposed in real time, as the procedure is taking place. Using the images provided by the ultrasound transducers, the longitudinal and rotational position of the delivery device (and the vascular device constrained therein) may be adjusted to align the vascular device with the patient's vasculature. In some examples, the vascular device being delivered includes fenestrations, whereas in others the vascular device integral branch grafts.

An imaging system for a patient comprises an imaging probe. The imaging probe comprises: an elongate shaft for insertion into the patient and comprising a proximal end, a distal portion, and a lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal portion; a rotatable optical core comprising a proximal end and a distal end, and at least a portion of the rotatable optical core is positioned within the lumen of the elongate shaft; an optical assembly positioned proximate the distal end of the rotatable optical core, the optical assembly configured to direct light to tissue and collect reflected light from the tissue; a damping fluid positioned between the elongate shaft and the rotatable optical core and configured to reduce non-uniform rotation of the optical assembly; and a fluid pressurization element configured to increase the pressure of the damping fluid to reduce the presence of bubbles proximate the optical assembly.

A device and method for imaging vasculature are provided. The device includes an imaging probe to be inserted into a vasculature. The imaging probe emits infrared light through blood toward the vasculature, and gathers reflected from the vasculature for imaging. The device includes an infrared light source optically coupled to the imaging probe to provide infrared light, and an infrared light detector optically to the imaging probe to generate an imaging signal from the reflected light that is gathered. The device further includes a controller coupled to the infrared light source and coupled to the infrared light detector to generate an image of the vasculature from the imaging signal. The controller may employ ballistic photon imaging techniques, gated imaging techniques, polarizing light imaging techniques, structured light imaging techniques, and the like.

An endoscope apparatus includes an illumination device generating illumination light including a first light, a second light, and a third light, an imaging device capturing an image based on return light from biological tissue, and a processor configured to perform image processing based on first, second, and third images respectively corresponding to the first light, the second light, and the third light. The first light has a peak wavelength within a predetermined wavelength range including a wavelength achieving a largest value of a hemoglobin absorption coefficient. The second light has a peak wavelength between a wavelength achieving a smallest value of the hemoglobin absorption coefficient and a wavelength achieving a first maximum value of the hemoglobin absorption coefficient on a shorter wavelength side of the wavelength achieving the smallest value. The third light has a peak wavelength between the peak wavelengths of the first light and the second light.