A catheter system for treating a vascular lesion within or adjacent to a vessel wall within a body of a patient includes a catheter fluid, an energy source that generates energy, an energy guide and an energy manifold. The energy guide includes a guide distal end that is selectively positioned near the vascular lesion. The energy guide is configured to receive energy from the energy source and generate a plasma bubble within the catheter fluid. The energy manifold is coupled to the energy guide near the guide distal end. The energy manifold includes (i) a manifold body that defines a body chamber, the body chamber being configured to retain at least some of the catheter fluid, and (ii) a manifold aperture that extends through the manifold body. The energy manifold directs energy from the plasma bubble out of the body chamber through the manifold aperture and toward the vascular lesion.

A catheter system for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a blood vessel within a body of a patient, the treatment site having a proximal region and a distal region, includes an energy source, a guide shaft, and an energy guide. The energy source generates energy. The guide shaft is positionable adjacent to the treatment site. The energy guide receives energy from the energy source. The energy guide is movably coupled to the guide shaft. The energy guide includes a guide distal end that is configured to be positioned adjacent to the treatment site. The guide distal end of the energy guide is selectively movable relative to the guide shaft and adjacent to and between the proximal region and the distal region of the treatment site while the energy guide receives energy from the energy source.

A catheter system for treating a treatment site within or adjacent to a vessel wall within a body of a patient includes an energy source, a balloon, and an energy guide. The energy source generates energy. The balloon includes a balloon wall that defines a balloon interior. The balloon is configured to retain a balloon fluid within the balloon interior. The balloon is selectively inflatable with the balloon fluid to expand to an inflated state, wherein when the balloon is in the inflated state the balloon wall is configured to be positioned substantially adjacent to the treatment site. The balloon further includes a balloon central axis that extends through a geometric center of the balloon when the balloon is in the inflated state. The energy guide selectively receives energy from the energy source and guides the energy from the energy source into the balloon interior. The energy guide including a guide distal end that is positioned on the balloon central axis when the balloon is in the inflated state.

Methods and systems enabling the real-time monitoring of a light-induced procedure in a biological medium, and/or the acquisition of information related to this biological medium are provided. In some implementations, the light beam used for the procedure is modulated at a modulation frequency selected in view of the photoacoustic frequency response associated with the procedure. The photoacoustic feedback signal from the medium during the procedure is then monitored. This monitoring may involve filtering the photoacoustic feedback signal around the selected feedback modulation frequency. Ratiometric comparisons of the contribution of different frequencies to the photoacoustic feedback signal are also considered.

The present disclosure relates generally to the use of medical devices for the treatment of vascular conditions. In particular, the present disclosure provides devices and methods for using laser-induced pressure waves created within a sheath to disrupt intimal and medial calcium within the vasculature.

A catheter-implemented transducer device for intravascular thrombolysis, is described herein. Such a transducer device includes a catheter defining a longitudinal axis and having opposed proximal and distal ends. At least one ultrasonic transducer arrangement is disposed about the distal end. The ultrasonic transducer arrangement is oriented with acoustic waves propagating parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Optionally, the ultrasonic transducer arrangement is configured as a multi-layer stacked structure of ultrasonic transducer elements. Optionally, the ultrasonic transducer arrangement is a laser ultrasonic transducer arrangement. Optionally, the ultrasonic transducer arrangement is configured to operate in a lateral mode.

A system for individualized treatment of a tissue condition with acoustic pressure shocks includes personalized determination and automatic adjustment of a shock wave treatment regimen or shock wave dosage to be administered for personalized treatment based on factors such as a patient's comorbidities, state of the tissue condition, individual physical characteristics and lifestyle parameters.

A method for using metastable perfluorocarbon nanodroplets for ultrasonic lysis of blood clots includes administering metastable perfluorocarbon nanodroplets into a blood vessel that includes or that leads to a blood vessel that includes a blood clot, the metastable perfluorocarbon nanodroplets each have a liquid core comprising a perfluorocarbon material that has a boiling point below 25 C. at atmospheric pressure and that remains stable in liquid form at 25 C. at atmospheric pressure. The method further includes applying ultrasound energy to the perfluorocarbon nanodroplets within or surrounding the blood clot, causing the perfluorocarbon nanodroplets to vaporize and convert to bubbles, which cavitate and lyse the blood clot.

A catheter system for imparting pressure to induce fractures at a treatment site within or adjacent a blood vessel wall includes a catheter, a fortified balloon inflation fluid and a first light guide. The catheter includes an elongate shaft and a balloon that is coupled to the elongate shaft. The balloon has a balloon wall and can expand to a first expanded configuration to anchor the catheter in position relative. The fortified balloon inflation fluid can expand the balloon to the first expanded configuration. The fortified balloon inflation fluid includes a base inflation fluid and a fortification component. The fortification component reduces a threshold for inducing plasma formation in the fortified balloon inflation fluid compared to the base inflation fluid. The fortification component can include at least one of carbon and iron. The first light guide is disposed along the elongate shaft and is positioned at least partially within the balloon. The first light guide is in optical communication with a light source and the fortified balloon inflation fluid. The light source provides sub-millisecond pulses of a light to the first light guide so that plasma formation and rapid bubble formation occur in the fortified balloon inflation fluid, thereby imparting pressure waves upon the treatment site.

A catheter system includes a catheter having an elongate shaft, a balloon and a light guide. The balloon expands from a collapsed configuration to a first expanded configuration. The light guide is disposed along the elongate shaft and is in optical communication with a light source and a balloon fluid. A first portion of the light guide extends into a recess defined by the elongate shaft. A protection structure is disposed within the recess and is in contact with the first portion of the light guide. The light source provides pulses of light to the balloon fluid, thereby initiating plasma formation and rapid bubble formation within the balloon, thereby imparting pressure waves upon a treatment site. The protection structure can provide structural protection from the pressure waves to the first portion of the light guide.