Light treatment of vulnerable atherosclerosis plaque

Claim 1

A vulnerable plaque treatment catheter arrangement for the analysis and treatment of the lipid pool of a vulnerable plaque in a coronary artery, comprising: a flexible, elongated, hollow sheath having a proximal end and a distal end, said sheath arranged for insertion into a coronary artery; an energy emitter and an energy receiver device arranged in an annular array in said distal end of said sheath, wherein said energy emitter comprises an annular array of emitting devices and said energy receiver comprises a separate annular array of receiving sensors longitudinally spaced apart in said sheath from said emitting devices wherein said sensors receive signals from oblique angles; an energy generator source and an energy control unit in communication with said device to provide a diagnosis and treatment to vulnerable plaque within a coronary artery.

Claim 6

A method of treating vulnerable plaque in a coronary artery by a vulnerable plaque catheter, comprising the steps of: placing an array of energy emitting and energy receiving devices in a distal end of a sheath of said catheter; connecting said energy emitting devices, via a communication line, to an energy generating source, wherein said energy emitter comprises an annular array of emitting devices and said energy receiver comprises a separate annular array of receiving sensors longitudinally spaced apart in said sheath from said emitting devices wherein said sensors receive signals from oblique angles; actuating said energy emitting devices through a first signal from a control unit, so as to send an initial scanning discharge of energy from said devices to analyze the internal wall of said artery; receiving a return of said initial energy discharge to analyze the internal wall of said coronary artery; actuating said energy emitting devices through a second signal from said control unit, to generate an increased treating-energy emission from said devices, so as to treat vulnerable plaque discovered in said artery.

Claim 7

A method of treating vulnerable plaque in a coronary artery by a vulnerable plaque catheter, comprising the steps of: placing an array of energy emitting and energy receiving devices in a distal end of a sheath of said catheter; connecting said energy emitting devices, via a communication line, to an energy generating source, wherein said energy emitter comprises an annular array of emitting devices and said energy receiver comprises a separate annular array of receiving sensors longitudinally spaced apart in said sheath from said emitting devices wherein said sensors receive signals from oblique angles; actuating said energy emitting devices through a first signal from a control unit, so as to send an initial scanning discharge of energy from said devices to analyze the internal wall of said artery; receiving a return of said initial energy discharge to analyze the internal wall of said coronary artery; actuating said energy emitting devices through a second signal from said control unit, to generate an increased treating-energy emission from said devices, so as to treat vulnerable plaque discovered in said artery.