BALLOON SURFACE PHOTOACOUSTIC PRESSURE WAVE GENERATION TO DISRUPT VASCULAR LESIONS
A photoacoustic catheter adapted for placement within a blood vessel having a vessel wall includes an elongate shaft, a balloon and a photoacoustic transducer. The elongate shaft can extend from a proximal region to a distal region. The elongate shaft can include a light guide that is configured to be placed in optical communication with a light source. The balloon is coupled to the elongate shaft, and can be configured to expand from a collapsed configuration suitable for advancing the photoacoustic catheter through a patient's vasculature to a first expanded configuration suitable for anchoring the photoacoustic catheter in position relative to a treatment site. The photoacoustic transducer can be disposed on a surface of the balloon and in optical communication with the light guide. The photoacoustic transducer can include a light-absorbing material and a thermal expansion material.
1 . A catheter for generating shockwaves within a blood vessel, the catheter comprising:
an elongate shaft extending between a proximal region and a distal region;
a balloon coupled to the elongate shaft, the balloon being configured to shift between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration;
a first shockwave generating member disposed on the catheter;
a second shockwave generating member disposed on the catheter adjacent to the first shockwave generating member; and
wherein the first shockwave generating member and the second shockwave generating member are configured to generate pressure waves that constructively interfere with one another.
2 . The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the first shockwave generating member includes an acoustic shockwave generating member.
3 . The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the first shockwave generating member includes a photoacoustic shockwave generating member.
4 . The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the pressure waves that constructively interfere with one another comprise a peak pressure of 1 MPa to 25 MPa.
5 . The catheter of claim 4 , wherein the peak pressure is in the range of 5 MPa to 25 MPa.
6 . The catheter of claim 4 , wherein the peak pressure is in the range of 5 MPa to 10 MPa.
7 . The catheter of claim 1 , wherein the first shockwave generating member is disposed along the elongate shaft at a first position underneath the balloon.
8 . The catheter of claim 7 , wherein the second shockwave generating member is disposed along the elongate shaft at a second position underneath the balloon.
9 . A catheter for generating shockwaves within a blood vessel, the catheter comprising:
an elongate shaft extending between a proximal region and a distal region;
a balloon coupled to the elongate shaft, the balloon being configured to shift between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration;
a first shockwave generating member disposed on the catheter;
wherein the first shockwave generating member is configured to generate a first shockwave;
a second shockwave generating member disposed on the catheter adjacent to the first shockwave generating member;
wherein the second shockwave generating member is configured to generate a second shockwave; and
wherein the first shockwave and the second shockwave are configured to constructively interfere with one another to form a higher peak pressure shockwave.
10 . The catheter of claim 9 , wherein the first shockwave generating member includes an acoustic shockwave generating member.
11 . The catheter of claim 9 , wherein the first shockwave generating member includes a photoacoustic shockwave generating member.
12 . The catheter of claim 9 , wherein the higher peak pressure shockwave comprises a peak pressure of 1 MPa to 25 MPa.
13 . The catheter of claim 12 , wherein the peak pressure is in the range of 5 MPa to 25 MPa.
14 . The catheter of claim 12 , wherein the peak pressure is in the range of 5 MPa to 10 MPa.
15 . The catheter of claim 9 , wherein the first shockwave generating member is disposed along the elongate shaft at a first position underneath the balloon.
16 . The catheter of claim 15 , wherein the second shockwave generating member is disposed along the elongate shaft at a second position underneath the balloon.
17 . A catheter for generating shockwaves, the catheter comprising:
a catheter shaft having a distal end region;
an expandable balloon coupled to the distal end region;
a first shockwave generating member disposed along the catheter shaft at a first position underneath the expandable balloon;
wherein the first shockwave generating member is configured to generate a first shockwave;
a second shockwave generating member disposed along the catheter shaft at a second position underneath the expandable balloon;
wherein the second shockwave generating member is configured to generate a second shockwave; and
wherein the first shockwave and the second shockwave are configured to constructively interfere with one another to form one or more higher peak pressure shockwaves with a higher peak pressure than both the first shockwave and the second shockwave.
18 . The catheter of claim 17 , wherein the first shockwave generating member includes an acoustic shockwave generating member.
19 . The catheter of claim 17 , wherein the first shockwave generating member includes a photoacoustic shockwave generating member.
20 . The catheter of claim 17 , wherein at least one of one or more higher peak pressure shockwaves comprises a peak pressure of 1 MPa to 25 MPa.