Handheld surgical endoscope with wide field of view (FOV) and illumination brightness adjusted by area within the FOV

An endoscope with a single-use, disposable distal portion and a multiple-use, reusable proximal portion, comprising:

• a handle configured to be grasped by a user's hand and having at least one button controlling endoscope functions, a mechanical connector at a distal portion of the handle, an electrical connector that is spaced in the proximal direction from the mechanical connector and faces in a direction transverse to a distal direction opposite said proximal direction, and a video display screen mechanically attached to and carried by the handle, wherein the handle with said at least one button, connectors, and screen form a part of the multiple-use portion of the endoscope;
• a cannula forming a part of the single-use portion of the endoscope and configured with internal lumina;
• a mechanical connector and an electrical connector at a proximal part of the single-use portion of the endoscope, configured to releasably mate tool-free with the mechanical connector and the electrical connector, respectively, at the multiple-use portion of the endoscope to thereby releasably integrate the multiple-use and the single-use portions to form an endoscope that is entirely hand-held, wherein the mechanical connector and electrical connector of the single-use portion are both operable to mate with the mechanical connector and electrical connector of the handle, respectively, by movement in the direction transverse to a distal direction opposite said proximal direction;
• a light source and an imaging module with a video camera at a distal portion of the cannula, coupled with the screen through said electrical connectors to illuminate a region in the patient and provide images of the region to the screen under the control of said at least one button at the handle;
• said imaging module comprising a lens system configured to provide imaging module with a field of view (FOV) of more than 120 degrees;
• wherein the video camera is a digital camera providing a digital signal representing one or more images, and transmits the digital signal from the cannula tip to the handle.