Patent ID: 6450950
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An endoscope for examining a corporeal cavity, comprising:a trocar sleeve; an endoscope shaft having a proximal end portion with a longitudinal axis and a distal end portion with a longitudinal axis, said endoscope shaft being capable of being passed through said trocar sleeve to insert said distal end portion into said corporeal cavity; and two solid state image recorders disposed on said distal end portion in a row parallel to said longitudinal axis of said distal end portion and spaced from each other to provide a lateral view stereo-optical system having a viewing direction at generally right angles away from said longitudinal axis of said distal end portion; wherein said endoscope shaft has a flexibly bendable portion disposed between said proximal end portion and said distal end portion, so that when said distal end portion and said bendable portion have been passed through said trocar sleeve, said distal end portion may be moved from a first viewing position in which the longitudinal axis of said distal end portion is aligned with the longitudinal axis of said proximal end portion to a second viewing position in which the longitudinal axis of said distal end portion is oriented at generally 90Â° to an extension of the longitudinal axis of said proximal end portion, with the viewing direction of said stereo-optical system being parallel to the extension of the longitudinal axis of said proximal end portion.