Methods and systems of registering a model of one or more anatomic passageways of a patient to a patient space are provided herein. An exemplary method may include accessing a set of model points of the model of the passageways, the model points being associated with a model space, collecting measured points along a length of a catheter inserted into the passageways of the patient, the measured points determined by a shape of the catheter, and assigning points of the first set to a plurality of subsets. The exemplary method may further include registering each of the subsets with the model points to produce a plurality of registration candidates, comparing the candidates to identify an optimal subset associated with an optimal registration of the plurality of candidates that translates the set of model points and at least one set of the sets of measured points into a common space.

An endoscope in which, even when a guide wire locking device is mounted, an endoscope in which an operation of a treatment tool erecting base is not limited and the treatment tool erecting base can be reliably moved is provided. An endoscope according to the present invention has an operation section 22 provided with an erecting operation lever 20; an insertion section 24 provided on a distal end side of the operation section 22; an erecting base 30 provided at a distal end part 26 of the insertion section 24; and a movable member 96 that is arranged to be exposed to outside of the operation section 22 and that moves in association with an operation of the erecting operation lever 20. The endoscope has a wire 60 that is pushed/pulled in accordance with a movement of the movable member 96 to move the erecting base 30; an attachment member 98 that is provided at a proximal end of the wire 60 and that is engaged with the movable member 96 in an attachable/detachable manner; and an interference prevention section 300 that is provided at a position of the operation section 22 on a proximal end side with respect to the movable member 96 and that prevents an interference with the movable member 96.

An improved imaging ear speculum is disclosed. The speculum retains a small imaging module such as a camera near is distal opening. The imaging module is retained in a carrier, which is slid into a track or guide in an interior wall of the speculum. Improved specula may also include annular inflatable bladders arranged on their outside distal surface, which bladders can engage with the patient's ear and render the speculum selectively self-retaining.

An endoscopic retraction assist device includes a body comprising opposite proximal and distal end portions and a central portion between the proximal and distal end portions, and a device channel defined in the body. At the central portion of the body, the device channel transitions from a circular portion having a circular cross section or perimeter to an arcuate portion having an elongated arcuate cross section or perimeter.

A controller operates in different operating modes to control movement of a distal tip of a medical instrument when inserting and retracting the medical instrument through linked body passages. When inserting the medical instrument, the controller normally operates in an automatic navigation mode unless manually overridden to operate in a manual mode. When retracting the medical instrument, the controller normally operates in a zero-force mode to allow the distal tip to freely move so that it may comply with the shape of the passages as the medical instrument is being retracted through the linked body unless manually overridden to operate in a manual mode.

Methods and apparatuses provide improved navigation through tubular networks such as lung airways by providing improved estimation of location and orientation information of a medical instrument (e.g., an endoscope) within the tubular network. Various input data such as image data, EM data, and robot data are used by different algorithms to estimate the state of the medical instrument, and the state information is used to locate a specific site within a tubular network and/or to determine navigation information for what positions/orientations the medical instrument should travel through to arrive at the specific site. Probability distributions together with confidence values are generated corresponding to different algorithms are used to determine the medical instrument's estimated state.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to valve configurations providing sealable access for medical instruments to a working channel, such as a working channel for an endoscope.

A modular robotic surgical system comprising: a base; a plurality of tool-receivers arranged as separate units, each tool-receiver unit operable to move an elongate surgical tool received therein; a plurality of interface coupling pairs, each coupling pair comprising a first coupler as part of the base and a second coupler as part of each of the tool-receiver units; wherein each of the tool-receiver units is independently and interchangeably attachable to the base via the coupling pair.

A method of molding a polymeric device having an elongated tube and a spiral fin. The method including: injecting a liquid resin into a mold space defining the polymeric device, the mold space having an elongated hollow tube molding space and a spiral fin molding space wound around the elongated hollow tube molding space; and providing a longitudinal flow path in at least a portion of a longitudinal length of the elongated tube molding space, the longitudinal flow path defining a concavity greater in depth than other portions of the elongated hollow tube molding space such that the liquid resin injected into the mold space flows in the longitudinal flow path to fill one or more ends of the hollow tube molding space.

A device that includes a body, a wire locking feature, and a channel. The body has an opening through which a wire is configured to extend. The channel is defined by an upper wire guiding portion and a lower wire guiding portion. The channel is configured to guide the wire between the opening and the wire locking feature. The upper wire guiding portion includes a protrusion. The wire is configured to slip past the protrusion during insertion of the wire into the channel.