A cover 20 for covering a circumferential portion of an outer circumferential surface of a rigid endoscope 10 having an observation window portion 14 provided at a tip thereof includes a flexible outer cover member 22 covering the circumferential portion of the circumferential surface of the rigid endoscope 10 and a tubular member 26, provided inside the outer cover member 22, through which a cleaning fluid to be supplied from a base end of the rigid endoscope 10 to the observation window portion 14 of the rigid endoscope 10 flows inside, and the outer cover member 22 is attached to the outer circumference surface of the rigid endoscope 10 by flexing the outer cover member 22.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.

Devices and methods for treating rhinitis are provided. An integrated therapy and imaging device is provided for single handheld use. The device may have a hollow elongated cannula, a therapeutic element coupled to a distal portion of the cannula, an imaging assembly coupled to the cannula to provide visualization of the therapeutic element, and an articulating region operably coupled to the imaging assembly to articulate the imaging assembly. The imaging assembly may be articulated so as to translate vertically, laterally, axially, and/or rotationally.

A view optimizing assembly, method and kit for use in combination with a laparoscope having a lens located on the shaft tip of the laparoscope, and a source of insufflation CO.sub.2. The invention includes a multi-lumen sheath assembly, a deflector assembly in fluid communication with the lumens of the sheath assembly, wherein the flow of CO.sub.2 through the lumens forms a vortex when coming into contact with the deflector assembly, thereby preventing fogging of the laparoscope lens.

A multifunctional catheter includes a catheter main body (1) and a distal tube (2) that are in a multi-channel structure. The distal tube (2) includes a soft end (21) at a proximal end and a functional end (22) at a distal end; a working channel (3) and a lens channel (6) are provided in the catheter main body (1) and the soft end (21), and the functional end (22) is also provided with a through hole communicating with the lens channel (6); the lens channel (6) is of a circular tubular-cavity structure extending along the catheter main body (1) and the soft end (21); and a plurality of accommodating slots (61) are provided on an inner wall of the lens channel (6) to accommodate a photosensitive chip in a lens assembly by the plurality of accommodating slots (61).

An endoscope includes, in a distal end frame constituting a distal end portion, an objective optical unit including a voice coil motor that moves a moving lens frame forward and backward in a direction of an optical axis by using a plurality of magnets arranged on a periphery of the moving lens frame, and a plurality of internal components made of magnetic material and arranged around the objective optical unit. At least one of the internal components is arranged at a position where at least a part thereof intersects one of straight lines each connecting an extreme point of one of valleys of a specific isomagnetic line of magnetic fields formed by the magnets and one of two inflection points of the specific isomagnetic line, the two inflection points being located, with the one of the valleys positioned between the two inflection points.

Provided is an ultrasonic endoscope with which it is possible to improve a brush cleanability of a communication path. A distal end portion (44) of an ultrasonic endoscope (10) includes: a balloon attachment portion (152) for attachably and detachably attaching a balloon (60) to the distal end portion (44), the balloon attachment portion (152) including a first balloon groove (154) that is provided over an outer periphery of the distal end portion at least on a proximal end side of an ultrasound oscillator (92); and a communication path (90) for supply or suction of a fluid with respect to an inner space of the balloon (60). An entrance and exit way (91) of the communication path (90) is formed to be diagonally inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of an insertion portion (12). The first balloon groove (154) includes a shallow groove portion (158) that is formed to have a groove depth smaller than other portions in a circumferential direction of the distal end portion (44), and the entrance and exit way (91) of the communication path (90) is provided in an internal region of the distal end portion (44) where the shallow groove portion (158) is formed.

Provided is an ultrasonic endoscope with which it is possible to prevent damage to an imaging element even in a case where voltage from an external power supply is directly applied. A distal end portion main body (43) of an ultrasonic endoscope (10) is formed of a resin material, the distal end portion main body (43) includes an illumination system (53) that includes an illumination metal base (156), a first fixing member (170) that fixes the illumination metal base (156) to the distal end portion main body (43), a first insert hole (172) into which the first fixing member (170) is inserted, an observation system (55) that includes a lens barrel (160), a second fixing member (174) that fixes the lens barrel (160) to the distal end portion main body (43), a second insert hole (176) into which the second fixing member (174) is inserted, and an electrical connection member (178) that electrically connects the illumination metal base (156) and the lens barrel (160), and at least one of the illumination metal base (156), the lens barrel (160), or the electrical connection member (178) is connected to a ground.

An optical device includes an optical window, a gas/liquid supply nozzle that includes an opening from which gas and liquid are jetted and selectively jets the gas and the liquid to wash an effective region of the optical window, a disposition surface on which the optical window and the nozzle are disposed, and a first hydrophobic portion that has a hydrophobic surface property and is formed in a part of a region of the disposition surface present between the effective region and the nozzle and between two tangent lines intersecting with a jet direction of the nozzle and extending to be tangent to the effective region from both ends of the opening in a width direction along the disposition surface.

A tip section of a multi-camera endoscope includes a front-pointing camera on a planar surface of a distal end of the tip section and two side-pointing cameras positioned on a cylindrical surface in proximity to the planar surface such that the side field of view provided by the two side-pointing cameras partially overlaps with the front field of view provided by the front-pointing camera. The tip section further includes a working channel configured for insertion of a surgical tool; and a pathway fluid injector for inflating and/or cleaning a body cavity into which the endoscope is inserted.