A catheter comprises an elongated carrier and a balloon carried by the carrier in sealed relation thereto. The balloon has an outer surface and is arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon. The catheter further comprises a shock wave generator within the balloon that forms mechanical shock waves within the balloon, and a medicinal agent carried on the outer surface of the balloon. The medicinal agent is releasable from the balloon either before or in response to the shock wave.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for treating an occlusion within a patient's vasculature with ultrasonic energy comprises a catheter configured to be passed through the patient's vasculature such that a portion of the catheter is positioned at an intravascular treatment site. The system further comprises an ultrasound radiating member, an ultrasound signal generator configured to supply a drive signal to the ultrasound radiating member, an infusion pump configured to pump a therapeutic compound into the fluid delivery lumen so as to cause the therapeutic compound to be delivered to the treatment site and a controller configured to control the ultrasound signal generator and the infusion pump.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an ultrasound catheter system comprising a catheter having at least one ultrasonic element; and a control system configured to generate power parameters to drive the ultrasonic element to generate ultrasonic energy is provided. The control system is configured to provide an ultrasonic pulse with a high pressure gradient with respect to time and/or distance. In another embodiment, a method of enhancing delivery of a therapeutic compound comprising delivering the therapeutic compound to a treatment site in a patient; and exposing the treatment site to an ultrasonic energy generated by an oscillating electrical signal pattern having a rise or fall rate greater than an sinusoidal pattern for the same amplitude and frequency is provided.

Methods for performing non-invasive thrombolysis with ultrasound using, in some embodiments, one or more ultrasound transducers to focus or place a high intensity ultrasound beam onto a blood clot (thrombus) or other vascular inclusion or occlusion (e.g., clot in the dialysis graft, deep vein thrombosis, superficial vein thrombosis, arterial embolus, bypass graft thrombosis or embolization, pulmonary embolus) which would be ablated (eroded, mechanically fractionated, liquefied, or dissolved) by ultrasound energy. The process can employ one or more mechanisms, such as of cavitational, sonochemical, mechanical fractionation, or thermal processes depending on the acoustic parameters selected. This general process, including the examples of application set forth herein, is henceforth referred to as Thrombolysis.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods, devices and systems relating to applying drugs or therapeutic agents to biological conduits, e.g., vascular lumens. More specifically, the present invention comprises enhancing the uptake of drugs or therapeutic agents encapsulated in microbubbles in combination with ultrasound energy as well as applying drugs or therapeutic agents in a cyclic manner using a pulse generator that may be matched in frequency with a patient's blood pulsing.

Systems and methods for treating a blood clot positioned within a blood vessel are disclosed. In one embodiment, a balloon member is positioned on a distal end region of a catheter and an ultrasound emitting element is positioned within the balloon member and arranged for actively emitting ultrasound. In some exemplary embodiments, the disclosure provides a multi-wall balloon member and a multi-lumen catheter with at least one and/or all cavities of the balloon member arranged for heat transfer with the ultrasound emitting element. The disclosure also provides catheter arrangements with an ultrasound emitting element arranged to heat tissue adjacent to the balloon member. Additionally, in some embodiments, at least one and/or all walls of the balloon member have apertures arranged to release a therapeutic agent such as a thrombolytic drug.

Devices, systems and methods are provided for stabilizing and grasping tissues such as valve leaflets, assessing the grasp of these tissues, approximating and fixating the tissues, and assessing the fixation of the tissues to treat cardiac valve regurgitation, particularly mitral valve regurgitation.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods, devices and systems relating to applying drugs or therapeutic agents to biological conduits, e.g., vascular lumens. More specifically, the present invention comprises enhancing the uptake of drugs or therapeutic agents encapsulated in microbubbles in combination with ultrasound energy as well as applying drugs or therapeutic agents in a cyclic manner using a pulse generator that may be matched in frequency with a patient's blood pulsing.

Methods and devices are disclosed for treating vascular stenosis using ultrasound vibrational energy from inside and outside of the balloon device into a treatment region of a patient's body. The vibrational energy is of a type and in an amount sufficient to remodel and alter compliance of the plaque at the treatment region and augment delivery therapeutic drugs to the treatment area.

A system for treating a vascular region includes an elongate catheter shaft having a distal end region, with an inner lumen formed in the elongate shaft and a fluid delivery lumen formed in the elongate shaft adjacent to the inner lumen. A treatment core is disposable within the inner lumen, and has a plurality of ultrasound transducers that are adapted to move between a straight configuration and a helical configuration and to provide constructive interference when in the helical configuration.