An endoscopic imaging system (10) employing an endoscope (20) and an endoscope guidance controller (30). In operation, endoscope (20) generates an endoscopic video (23) of an anatomical structure within an anatomical region. Endoscopic guidance controller (30), responsive to a registration between the endoscopic video (23) and a volume image (44) of the anatomical region, controls a user interaction (50) with a graphical user interface (31) including one or more interactive planar slices (32) of the volume image (44), and responsive to the user interaction (50) with the graphical user interface (31), endoscopic guidance controller (30) controls a positioning of the endoscope (20) relative to the anatomical structure derived from the interactive planar slices (32) of the volume image (44). A robotic endoscopic imaging system (11) incorporates a robot (23) in the endoscopic imaging system (10) whereby endoscope guidance controller (30) controls a positioning by robot (23) of the endoscope (20) relative to the anatomical structure.

Endoscope apparatus includes: a tube unit coupled to a rotary shaft to which a rotational force is transmitted so as to be rotatable, the tube unit being formed to extend in one direction; steering unit having one end installed at one end of the tube unit to rotate with respect to the tube unit so that a direction thereof facing forward is adjusted, the steering unit rotating together with the tube unit by the rotational force transmitted from the tube unit; an end effector installed inside the steering unit to rotate together with the steering unit due to the rotation of the steering unit, the end effector being disposed to face forward; and shaft-fixing tube body installed at the end effector, wherein the direction of the steering unit facing forward and relative rotation of the steering unit with respect to the end effector are adjustable.

An external mechanism for an endoscope includes: a bending wheel configured to engage with a second UD knob of a second bending operation device provided in an operation portion of an endoscope; a motor portion configured to generate a driving force for rotating the bending wheel; a housing case housing the bending wheel and the motor portion and detachably attached to the operation portion, and an operation switch arranged outside the housing case and configured to output a control signal to the motor portion due to the operating element being operated, in which the operation switch is pivotally supported by the rotation shaft and rotates with respect to the housing case.

An endoscope manipulator for performing robot-assisted endoscope manipulation comprises a movable robot base with a hollow trunk and a vertical lifting joint; a passive joint set with one end mounted to an upper end of the vertical lifting joint, for manually setting an initial pose of the endoscope; an active joint set mounted to another end of the passive joint set, for adjusting pose control of the endoscope intra-operatively; and a compliant endoscope holder mountable to an end-effector of the active joint set, which passively changes to a compliant state upon an external force exceeding a threshold being applied to an endoscopic lens held by the compliant endoscope holder.

A surgical instrument may comprise an elongated shaft extending between a proximal end and a distal end and defining a longitudinal axis. The surgical instrument may also comprise a plurality of cables extending along the longitudinal axis and a first bending section positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongated shaft. The first bending section may comprise links having pairs of articulation holes extending longitudinally through the links to permit the plurality of pull wires to pass therethrough. Each pair of articulation holes may comprise first and second articulation holes that are spaced apart from the longitudinal axis (i) at different radii and (ii) at a same rotation angle.

A computing system may use redundant communication pathways for communicating surgical imaging feed(s). The computing system may obtain multiple surgical video streams via multiple pathways. The multiple surgical video streams may include copies of the same video. The surgical video streams may be obtained, for example, from the same intra-body imaging feed, such as intra-body visual light feed. For example, a first video stream may be obtained via a communication pathway, and a second video stream may be obtained via another communication pathway. The computing system may display or send a surgical video stream for display. The computing system may whether the video stream being displayed has encountered any issues. Upon detecting an issue with the video stream being displayed, the computing system may display or send another obtained surgical video stream for display.

Systems and methods for supporting image-guided procedures include an elongate device including a steerable distal end and a shape sensor located along a length of the elongate device and one or more processors coupled to the elongate device. While the elongate device is being traversed through one or more passageways of a patient, the one or more processors are configured to detect a data collection event, and capture, in response to detecting the data collection event, a plurality of points along the length of the elongate device using the shape sensor. In some embodiments, an insertion depth of the elongate device is monitored. In some embodiments, the data collection event is detected when the insertion depth is beyond a threshold insertion depth, no change of the insertion depth is detected for longer than a threshold period of time, or the insertion depth is beyond a threshold retraction distance.

A plenoptic endoscope includes a fiber bundle with a distal end configured to receive light from a target imaging region, a sensor end disposed opposite the distal end, and a plurality of fiber optic strands each extending from the distal end to the sensor end. The plenoptic endoscope also includes an image sensor coupled to the sensor end of the fiber bundle, and a plurality of microlenses disposed between the image sensor and the sensor end of the fiber bundle, the plurality of microlens elements forming an array that receives light from one or more of the plurality of fiber optic strands of the fiber bundle and directs the light onto the image sensor. The plurality of microlens elements and the image sensor together form a plenoptic camera configured to capture information about a light field emanating from the target imaging region.

System and method for advancing and retracting a tubular medical instrument within a body lumen and evacuating lumen material therefrom. A shaft of the medical instrument is inserted through a central bore of a probe, an evacuation adaptor, and a swivel fastener unit, respectively mounted onto a distal carriage, a central carriage, and a proximal carriage of a translation mechanism. The probe is directed toward cavity entrance of body lumen using an adjustment mechanism coupled to a translation mechanism beam. A central probe unit of probe is maintained sealingly coupled to cavity entrance by propelling distal carriage along beam. The evacuation adapter is maintained sealingly coupled to the probe by propelling central carriage along beam, concurrent with displacement of a hollow tube of probe relative to central probe unit. Lumen material is evacuated using evacuation adaptor. The medical instrument is advanced and retracted by propelling proximal carriage along beam.

The present disclosure provides an introducer device including an outer tube defining a first lumen, and an inner tube defining a second lumen, and a sheath coupled thereto. The first end of the inner tube is positioned in the first lumen of the outer tube, and the inner tube is configured to translate within the first lumen in a direction towards the first end of the outer tube from a first position to a second position. The first end of the sheath is coupled to the first end of the outer tube, and the second end of the sheath is coupled to the first end of the inner tube. The introducer device further includes an inlet port in fluid communication with the inner surface of the outer tube, and one or more steering wires coupled to the sheath that are configured to bias a direction of a leading edge of the sheath as the sheath everts from a retracted position to an extended position.