Photochemotherapy for the treatment of intimal hyperplasia has emerged as a promising method for reducing the high rate of the restenosis that typically occurs as a result of vascular injury due to mechanical intervention or manipulation (e.g., balloon angioplasty, laser angioplasty, or atherectomy surgery.) One of the more challenging aspects of this therapy is in delivering light to a specific target. A uniform cylindrical irradiation pattern of laser energy (ultraviolet light at 365 nm) is desired for in vivo photochemotherapeutic treatments. In this study, we have developed a new catheter system for our photochemotherapeutic procedure. The experiments show; (a) the laser radiation emitted from the diffusing tip is uniformly distributed along the surface of the balloon, 20 mm in length, the variation is less ±20%; (b) Its configuration allows for safely negotiating tortuous coronary arteries; (c) It is easy to operate because of the integration of balloon, guide-wire, and illuminator. This system has the advantages of uniform radiation, flexibility, small dimension, and being substantially independent of input coupling mode. This device is useful in photochemotherapy for the treatment of intimal hyperplasia and other applications in photodynamic therapy.

Shangguan H, Buckley L, Shearin A, Gregory KW: Integrated Laser Catheter System for Photodynamic Therapy. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (Suppl.) 6:56, 1994.