A fiber optic endoscope has a shaft with a varying outer diameter. The distal end of the shaft is sufficiently small in outside diameter for maneuvering it through various body canals, and is useful in dilating body orifices to allow more proximal, longer-diameter portions of the shaft to penetrate. The endoscope shaft changes in thickness and is preferably in stages of different constant outside diameter. A flexible tip portion at the distal end of the shaft which is controllable from the endoscope handle may be included. Transitions between adjacent stages are smooth to provide a gradual transition between stages. The endoscope outer shaft is preferably made from a one-piece structure, portions of which are reduced in outside diamter to provide the different stages of the endoscope shaft.
An endoscope having a shaft with a semi-rigid tube and a malleable tube. The malleable tube is connected to and extends from a distal end of the semi-rigid tube. The connection of the two tubes includes dimples stamped into the semi-rigid tube that inwardly project into holes in the malleable tube.
A method of laser-assisted prostatectomy which is based on the use of special laseroscope with continuous flow of the flushing and cooling liquid is provided. The method consists of inserting the above laseroscope into the patient's urethra with the laser fiber tip positioned at the prostate gland area, inserting a balloon catheter through the laseroscope to the urinary bladder neck, inflating the balloon of the catheter, initiating an inflow of washing and cooling liquid to the operating area, which is isolated from the urinary bladder by the balloon catheter, inserting a laser fiber into the laseroscope, firing the laser fiber and directing a laser beam laterally from the laser fiber onto the prostatic gland for directing the laser beam to the required area. The method is carried out by means of an apparatus comprising a tubular sheath (10) with three guide tubes, i.e., a guide tube (13) for an optical lens system (12), a second guide tube (14) for a laser fiber (16), and a third or auxiliary guide tube (18) for interchangeably inserting: a cleaning brush (19), which may rotate and reciprocate in the guide tube (18) for cleaning the operating tip of the laser fiber (16); an ultrasonic probe (40) for measuring the degree and depth of ablation of the prostatic tissue; and a balloon catheter (42) for the occlusion of the bladder neck. Spaces (15a) and (15b) between the inner surface of the sheath (10) and the outer surfaces of the guide tubes form mutually isolated channels for the continuous supply and removal of the flushing and cooling liquid.
The invention is directed toward a micro-endoscope assembly for the ablation of tissue in breast ducts comprising a cylindrical guide tube with a distal end defining an internal cylindrical passageway, a first smaller cylindrical tube eccentrically formed in the cylindrical passageway of a smaller diameter than said tube internal cylindrical passageway to receive and guide an endoscope, the smaller cylindrical tube forming together with an inner wall surface of the cylindrical guide tube a second passageway. A energy transmitting probe is mounted in the second passageway and is connected at the distal end of the guide tube with an energy transmitting device. The assembly is inserted into a mammary duct and the interior of the duct is viewed until an abnormality is determined in the duct. The tissue and cells from the abnormality area are ablated, irrigated and aspirated through a suction channel to a collection device.
A multi-function arthroscope has a laser channel, an irrigation tube, a suction tube, a rod lens, and optical fibers housed within a tubular casing. The operation site is illuminated by the optical fibers, and the physician views the illuminated site through the rod lens, performs laser surgery with laser radiation propagated by the laser channel, irrigates the site and cleans the rod lens with saline solution through the irrigation tube, and vacuums the debris with the suction tube, all in a single insertion of the arthroscope through a dilator tube. The respective distal ends of the optical fibers, rod lens, laser channel, irrigation tube, and the suction tube are positioned in different planes so that the suction tube extends in a distal direction further than the laser channel, the laser channel extends further than the irrigation tube, and the irrigation tube extends further than the rod lens. Connector members join the laser channel, the irrigation tube, the suction tube, and the optical fibers and rod lens to an external source of coherent light, an external source of saline solution under positive pressure, an external source of negative pressure, and an external source of incoherent light, respectively.
An apparatus and method of use thereof for identifying and monitoring women at risk of developing OSE-derived carcinomas is provided. The apparatus includes an introducer needle configured to be capable of insertion into a female such that a terminal end of the needle is positioned adjacent an ovary of the female, a microendoscope having an optic fiber which is operably insertable into the needle in a manner to enable an image of the ovary to be obtained therethrough, and a tissue removing member operably co-insertable into the needle with the optic fiber therein to enable removal of ovarian tissue cells with minimal deleterious effect to the ovary.
