Method and apparatus for detecting and treating vulnerable plaques

1. A method of detecting vulnerable plaques engrained or embedded in otherwise normal tissue in a wall of a patient's blood vessel containing blood whose temperature corresponds to that of said normal tissue, said method comprising the steps of

forming an intravascular catheter containing a first microwave antenna tuned to a first frequency enabling it to detect temperature at depth in said wall and produce a corresponding first frequency signal, and a second antenna designed to pick up thermal emissions from said blood to sense the temperature thereof and produce a corresponding reference signal;

applying said signals by way of a diplexer separately to a differential radiometer to produce an output signal therefrom which reflects said temperature at depth relative to the blood temperature, and

moving the catheter along said vessel so that at each point along the vessel said output signal indicates the presence or absence of vulnerable plaques in said vessel wall due to the higher emissivity thereof as compared to that of the normal tissue.

2. The method defined in claim 1 and including the step of using said output signal to control a display device to display the locations of said vulnerable plaques in said blood vessel wall.

3. Apparatus for detecting vulnerable plaques engrained or imbedded in otherwise normal tissue in a wall of a patient's blood vessel containing blood whose temperature is substantially the same as that of said normal tissue, said apparatus comprising

an intravascular catheter containing a microwave antenna tuned to a first frequency enabling it to detect temperature at depth in said wall and produce a corresponding first frequency signal;

a radiometer having a signal input, a reference input and an output,

a diplexer connecting the antenna to the signal input;

a second antenna in the catheter for sensing the temperature of the blood and producing a corresponding reference signal, and

means for applying the reference signal to the reference input, said catheter being movable along said vessel so that at each axial location along the vessel, said output signal indicates the presence or absence of vulnerable plaques due to the higher emissivity thereof as compared to that of the normal tissue.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said second antenna is tuned to a second frequency that is different from said first frequency.

5. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the first frequency is in the range of 1-4 GHz and the second frequency is in the range of 3-6 GHz.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are made coaxial with the second antenna being radially inside, and extending axially beyond, said first antenna.

7. A method of detecting vulnerable plaque ingrained or imbedded in otherwise normal tissue comprising a wall of a patient's blood vessel containing blood whose temperature is substantially the same as that of said normal tissue, said method comprising the steps of

forming an intravascular catheter containing a first microwave antenna tuned to a first frequency enabling detection of the temperature at depth in said wall and a second microwave antenna tuned to a second frequency enabling the detection of the temperature of said blood;

providing a first radiometer having an operating frequency range which includes said first frequency and with an input connected by way of a diplexer to the first antenna and which produces a first output signal representing said temperature at depth;

providing a second radiometer having an operating frequency range which includes said second frequency and with an input connected by way of said diplexer to the second antenna and which produces a second output signal representing the temperature of said blood;

producing a difference signal from said first and second output signals, and

moving the catheter along said vessel so that at each axial location along the vessel, said difference signal indicates the presence or absence of vulnerable plaque in said vessel wall due to the higher emissivity of said plaque as compared to the normal tissue.

8. The method defined in claim 7 wherein the first frequency is in the range of 1-4 GHz and the second frequency is in the range of 3-6 GHz.

9. The method defined in claim 1 including the step of heating said plaques following their detection.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 3 and further including a display device responsive to the difference signal for displaying the locations of the vulnerable plaques in said blood vessel wall.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the first and second antennas are coaxial with the second antenna being radially inside, and extending axially beyond, the first antenna.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the first and second antennas are slidable axially relative to one another.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the second antenna comprises a tube with an axial passage for accepting a guide wire.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein the second antenna includes a resistive termination or load.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 3 and further including means for heating said plaques following the detection thereof.

16. The method defined in claim 6 including the step of forming the second antenna with an axial passage for receiving a guide wire.

17. The method defined in claim 6 including the step of making the first and second antennas slidable axially relative to one another.

18. The method defined in claim 6 including the step of providing the second antenna with a resistive termination or load.

19. The method defined in claim 7 including the additional step of applying said difference signal to control a display device to display the locations of said plaque in the blood vessel wall.