Novel catheter enabling simultaneous radiofrequency ablation and optical coherence reflectometry.

A novel radiofrequency ablation catheter has been developed with integrated custom designed optics, enabling real-time monitoring of radiofrequency ablation procedures through polarization-sensitive optical coherence reflectometry. The optics allow for proper tissue illumination through a view-port machined in the catheter tip, thus providing lesion depth control over the RF ablation treatment. The system was verified in an in-vitro model of swine myocardium. Optical performance and thermal stability was confirmed after more than 25 procedures, without any damage to the optical assembly induced by thermal stress or material degradation. The use of this catheter in RF ablation treatments may make possible to assess lesion depth during therapy, thus translating into a reduction of potential complications on the procedure.