Patent ID: 8647257

Claim:
A system, comprising: a tissue removal device including: a handle; and an elongate shaft having a longitudinal axis, and a lumen terminating at a distal opening, the distal opening including a perimeter with a rigid tapered protrusion, wherein the rigid tapered protrusion comprises a proximal base and a distal cutting edge, at least one-quarter of the perimeter of the distal opening being at or proximal to the base, and a proximal edge of the distal opening forms the border of a plane that is transverse to and intersected by a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft; and an endoscope assembly including: a flexible endoscope; and an endoscope retaining device including an elongate support structure configured to receive the flexible endoscope, the endoscope retaining device being configured to be inserted into the lumen of the elongate member of the tissue removal device and coupled to the handle of the tissue removal device in a predetermined radial orientation, such that when the endoscope assembly is inserted into the lumen of the elongate shaft of the tissue removal device a proximal-most portion of the endoscope retaining device is distal to a proximal-most portion of the handle of the tissue removal device.