In the biopsy system according to one embodiment, the needle tube of the treatment tool has the minor axis of the flattened portion and the bending plane of the bending portion parallel to each other. Accordingly, the needle tube is easily bent in the bending direction of the bending portion, and even in an endoscope that has few bendable directions and is bendable, for example, in only two directions (e.g., up and down), the bending operation of the bending portion is not easily hindered. As a result, even after the treatment tool for endoscopes is inserted into the endoscope, the bending portion can be easily bent with a predetermined bending amount, and a procedure can be easily performed.

A medical apparatus includes: an endoscopic subsystem, a medical instrument, an imaging stylet; and a system console with data-processing capability. This image-guided system calculates, in-real time, a position of the instrument relative to a target within patient body to guide and control accurate placement of the instrument to the target. The stylet is configured to acquire image data intra-operatively. In addition, the stylet has a sensing region along a flexible distal portion of its length. The system console communicates with the stylet to calculate the position of the instrument inside a patient by using intra-operative image data of surrounding tissue acquired by the stylet, distributed strain data measured by the console within the sensing region of the stylet, and preoperative image data of the patient anatomy. The stylet incorporates optical guides that are advantageously used both for imaging and for distributed strain sensing, enabling miniaturization of the stylet for accomplishing an intra-operative image guidance and navigational feedback without increasing invasiveness or compromising safety of the guided medical procedures.

The present invention presents an apparatus and methods to guide insertion of invasive devices to a tissue target of a living body. The apparatus comprises a positioning guide control assembly and a positioning guide assembly that is operably detachable from the control assembly, and rotationally adjustable and lockable. The positioning guide control assembly releasably houses a ultrasound transducer head and measures an insertion length and an insertion angle of an invasive device placed in the positioning guide assembly to reach the tissue target.

An endoscope for removing tissue at a surgical site includes an elongated tubular body insertable within a mammalian cavity of a patient. An instrument channel extends between a first opening at a distal end and a second opening at a proximal end of the tubular body and is sized and configured to receive a surgical cutting assembly that includes an aspiration channel configured to remove material entering the endoscope via a distal end of the surgical cutting assembly. A torque generation component configured to generate torque is positioned within the distal end and configured to provide the generated torque to a coupling component. The coupling component is positioned at the distal end of the elongated tubular member and configured to actuate a cutting component of the surgical cutting assembly responsive to actuation of the torque generation component.

A system and method is configured for use with an endoscope, a biopsy needle, and a data acquisition system. The system includes a sensor tip and a pressure sensor coupled to the sensor tip and having at least one piezo-resistor component with an internal-facing side and an external-facing side, and an opening adjacent to the at least one piezo-resistor component to allow fluid access to the internal-facing side and the external-facing side. The system also includes a tubing member with a distal end and a proximal end, the sensor tip coupled to the distal end, the sensor tip and the tubing member configured to be routed through the biopsy needle and connection elements coupled to the proximal end of the tubing member, the connection elements configured to mount the tubing member relative to the biopsy needle and to couple the pressure sensor to the data acquisition system.

Provided is a cutting biopsy instrument facilitating loading by minimizing a change in a grip on a biopsy instrument and enhancing tissue sampling accuracy and safety and simplifying collection of sampled tissue by proposing a new shift relation between an stylet and an cannula at the shooting of the needles.

A needle apparatus having a sheath with a protective hypotube insert and a method of making the needle sheath. An example needle apparatus includes a handle, a needle having a proximal end connected to the handle and a sheath. The sheath is configured to receive of the needle. The sheath includes a proximal end connected to the handle, a distal end, a lumen and the protective insert. The lumen passes from the proximal end to the distal end of the sheath. The protective insert is received within the lumen at the distal end of the sheath when force and/or heat are applied.

Disclosed embodiments include flexible tube assemblies, flexible needle assemblies, systems, methods of fabricating a flexible tube, and methods of fabricating a flexible needle. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a flexible tube assembly includes: a flexible tube having a proximal end with a proximal strain relief section and a distal end with a distal strain relief section, the proximal strain relief section being located between the proximal end and the distal strain relief section and the distal strain relief section being located between the distal end and the proximal strain relief section, the distal end defining an opening therein, at least a portion of at least one of the proximal strain relief section and the distal strain relief section defining therein a spiral cut with a continuously variable pitch; and tubing disposed in an airtight manner over an exterior surface of the flexible tube at least the portion of the at least one of the proximal strain relief section and the distal strain relief section defining therein the spiral cut with a continuously variable pitch.

A system includes acquisition of a three-dimensional image of the patient volume based on the at least two two-dimensional images, identification of a tumor based on the three-dimensional image, identification of sub-volumes of the tumor, determination of a first two or more tissue sampling locations based on the sub-volumes, determination of a first tissue sampling device entry point and a first one or more device trajectories associated with the first tissue sampling device entry point based on the first two or more tissue sampling locations, movement of a tissue sampling device into the patient volume through patient skin at the first tissue sampling device entry point, and movement of the tissue sampling device along the first one or more device trajectories to acquire tissue samples from the first two or more tissue sampling locations, wherein the tissue samples are acquired from the first two or more tissue sampling locations between entry of the tissue sampling device at the first tissue sampling device entry point and removal of the tissue sampling device from the first tissue sampling device entry point.

An endoscopic treatment device includes an insertion unit, a manipulation unit provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion unit, and a manipulation unit attachment mechanism attaching the manipulation unit to an insertion port of a channel of an endoscope. The manipulation unit attachment mechanism has: a connection slider engaged with the insertion port by sliding in a first direction intersecting an axis of the insertion unit and disengaged from the insertion port by sliding in a second direction intersecting the axis; an insertion-port abutment part moving toward a proximal end by contacting with the insertion port; and a slider abutment part preventing sliding of the connection slider in the first direction when the insertion-port abutment part is located at a distal end side and permitting the sliding of the connection slider in the first direction when the insertion-port abutment part is located at a proximal end side.