A surgical visualization system comprises: (a) an endoscope comprising: (i) a shaft comprising a distal end, wherein the distal end is configured to be inserted into a cavity of a patient, (ii) a camera positioned at the distal end of the shaft for visualizing a first structure below a tissue surface within the cavity when the distal end is inserted into the cavity, wherein the camera defines a line of sight, wherein the camera is configured to be swept over the first structure; and (b) a processor in operative communication with the camera of the endoscope, wherein the processor is configured to: (i) monitor at least one sweep parameter when the camera is swept over the first structure, and (ii) estimate a depth of the first structure below the tissue surface based on the monitored at least one sweep parameter.

A method which may effectively provide an endoscope or other surgical instrument with a synthetic multi-camera array may comprise capturing using one or more cameras located at a distal tip of the surgical instrument, a set of images comprising first and second images. For each image in such set of images, that image may be captured by a corresponding camera from the one or more cameras, may be captured when the distal dip of the instrument is located at a corresponding point in space. Such a method may also comprise generating a three dimensional image based on compositing representations of a structure in the first and second image after applying a non-rigid transformation to one or more of those representations.

A method comprises obtaining an endoscopic image dataset of a patient anatomy from an endoscopic imaging system and retrieving an anatomic model dataset of the patient anatomy obtained by an anatomic imaging system. The method also comprises mapping the endoscopic image dataset to the anatomic model dataset and displaying a first vantage point image using the mapped endoscopic image dataset. The first vantage point image is presented from a first vantage point at a distal end of the endoscopic imaging system. The method also comprises displaying a second vantage point image using at least a portion of the mapped endoscopic image dataset. The second vantage point image is presented from a second vantage point, different from the first vantage point.

The present invention, a handheld intraoral dental 3D camera comprising: a hand-held housing which includes: an optical unit comprising: an illuminating means for producing light, and a projecting means for projecting the light produced by the illuminating means onto a region of a tooth surface of a patient; a sensing unit for sensing an image of the projected light reflected by the region, characterized in that the illuminating means comprises a semiconductor laser for producing the light; and the projection means comprises phosphor which is arranged to receive the light produced by the semiconductor laser, wherein the projection means is further adapted to project the fluorescing light from the phosphor onto the region of the tooth surface of the patient.

Endoscopic light refraction imaging techniques are described for configuring a viewing trocar and/or angled endoscope with a light refracting element, such as glass and/or plastic prism for instance. The light refracting element can be utilized in and/or with the viewing trocar to refract (i.e., bend) light passing into the trocar through the trocar's window. As a result, the angled endoscope's field of view can be substantially aligned with the field of view of the trocar's window, thus allowing the angled endoscope and viewing trocar to be used together to create ports in a patient, including initial ports of endoscopic surgical procedures.

The present disclosure relates to the field of endoscopy. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to delivery systems and methods for coagulating sites of bleeding within mucosal tissues, and in particular, for eradicating esophageal varices.

Presented herein is a method of using a manually-operated light plane generating module to make accurate measurements of the dimensions of an object seen in an image taken by an endoscopic camera. The method comprises: providing the light plane generating module with distinctive features, introducing the light plane generating module until the distinctive features are visible in the image, aligning the light plane across the object, and providing a processor device and software configured to analyze the camera images. Also described are diagnostic or therapeutic endoscopic tools that comprise an attached light plane generating module to provide the tool with integrated light plane measurement capabilities, wherein the tool is configured to be used in the described method.

A medical observation system includes: a plurality of types of sensor units that measure information regarding an internal environment; an acquisition unit (131) that acquires individual sensor values of the plurality of types of sensor units; a comparison unit (132) that compares the individual sensor values of the plurality of types of sensor units acquired by the acquisition unit (131); and a determination unit (134) that determines a sensor unit to be used for observing the internal environment among the plurality of types of sensor units based on a comparison result obtained by the comparison unit (132).

An endoscope includes a housing with a distal end insertable into a cavity; an image capture device at the distal end to obtain 3D images, and process them to form a video signal; and a folded substrate folded into a U-shape having first and second legs. The image capture device includes a detector and a lens system with right and left multi-band pass filters having right pass bands that are complements of left pass bands. The lens system receives the 3D images including right and left images. The detector faces the lens system to obtain the right and left images. A processing circuit faces the proximal end behind the detector to process signals from the detector. The folded substrate includes the detector at an outer side of the first leg facing the lens system and the processing circuit at an outer side of the second leg facing the proximal end.

A luminal structure calculation apparatus includes at least one processor including hardware. The processor acquires picked-up images at a plurality of points in time including a same site of an object acquired by an image pickup unit provided in an insertion section inserted into a lumen serving as the object and three-dimensional disposition including information concerning at least a part of a position or a direction of the image pickup unit and calculates a position of the same site based on the picked-up images at the plurality of points in time and the three-dimensional disposition to calculate a three-dimensional structure of the lumen.