Surgical instrument including viewing optics and a ball probe

A surgical instrument comprising:

• (a) an elongated rigid shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending between the ends, the shaft including inner and outer tubes, the inner tube extending beyond the outer tube and being malleable by a user;
• (b) a handle affixed to the proximal end of the shaft, the handle including a longitudinal bore communicating with the lumen;
• (c) a generally rigid spherical tip joined symmetrically to the distal end of the shaft and having a greater diameter than the diameter of the shaft for providing enhanced tactile response, the tip defining an opening leading to a chamber in the tip, and communicating with the lumen;
• and
• (d) a fiber-optic assembly mounted in the chamber and the lumen for creating, at a remote location, a viewable image of tissue located proximal and exterior to the tip.

A tactile surgical instrument for palpating and viewing tissue comprising:

• (a) an elongated rigid shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending between the ends;
• (b) a handle connected to the proximal end of the shaft, the handle including a longitudinal bore communicating with the lumen;
• (c) a rigid bulbous atraumatic tip joined to the distal end of the shaft for providing enhanced tactile response, the tip defining a surface opening leading to a chamber in the tip that communicates with the lumen;
• and
• (d) a fiber-optic viewing assembly including a plurality of optical image fibers having a planar face at the distal end thereof, the assembly extending through the shaft and including an objective lens mounted within the chamber for creating an optical image of tissue proximal to the surface opening onto the face of the image fibers, the assembly terminating within the chamber such that the tissue can be palpated and viewed simultaneously,
• the lumen being in fluid communication with the surface opening to allow a fluid to be sent through the lumen, about the objective lens and out the opening.