Endoscope with a multiple diameter working section
AssigneeSmith & Nephew, Inc.
InventorNikolai David Begg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An endoscope having a multiple diameter working section is disclosed. The endoscope includes a housing, a working section, and a rod-lens optical system. The housing is at a proximal end of the endoscope. The working section is integral with and extends from the housing. The working section includes at least a first section and a second section. The first section is contiguous to the housing, and the second section is at a distal end of the endoscope. The rod-lens optical system is positioned at least partially in the first section of the working section and at least partially in the second section of the working section. The endoscope is defined such that the outer diameter of the first section is larger than the outer diameter of the second section.
Claims20
An endoscope comprising:
- a proximal end;
- a distal end;
- a housing at the proximal end of the endoscope;
- a working section coupled to and extending from the housing, the working section comprising a first section contiguous to the housing and a second section at the distal end of the endoscope, wherein an outer diameter of the first section is larger than an outer diameter of the second section;
- and
- an optical system positioned at least partially in the first section of the working section and at least partially in the second section of the working section.
An endoscope comprising:
- a housing;
- a working section extending from the housing and having an outer surface, the outer surface having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end is contiguous to the housing and having a first diameter, and the distal end having a second diameter, the first diameter is larger than the second diameter;
- and
- an optical system positioned in the working section such that the optical system extends between the proximal and distal ends of the working section.
A method of performing a surgical procedure, comprising:
- disposing a working section of an endoscope into a body cavity, wherein the endoscope comprises a proximal end and a distal end, wherein a housing is disposed at the proximal end of the endoscope, and wherein the working section is coupled to and extends from the housing and comprises a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is contiguous to the housing, wherein the second section is at the distal end of the endoscope, an outer diameter of the first section is larger than an outer diameter of the second section, wherein an optical system is disposed at least partially in the first section of the working section and at least partially in the second section of the working section;
- performing, while at least a portion of the working section is disposed in the body cavity, at least a portion of a surgical procedure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.