An atherectomy catheter is provided for excising and imaging material in a body
lumen. In one embodiment, the catheter comprises a catheter body, a cutting blade,
and an imaging device. The cutting blade is mounted on the catheter body and configured
to move between a first position and a second position relative to an aperture
or cutting window. When the cutting blade is in the second position, the blade
substantially closes the aperture on the catheter body. The imaging device which
is mounted on or otherwise coupled to the cutting blade is configured to be in
an imaging position when the cutting blade substantially closes the aperture or
cutter window. This allows the imaging device to survey material within the cutting
zone of the atherectomy catheter. By allowing the imaging device to view materials
within this cutting zone, material may be imaged and then removed from the body
lumen without having to reposition the catheter between each step.