Patent ID: 8523891

Claim:
A probe for a surgical instrument used for cutting selected tissue in a body cavity while under visual inspection, said probe comprising: a proximal end connectable to a surgical handpiece, said proximal end being open so as to allow passage of optical system and a cutting tool extension system; a distal end, said distal end being closed; and a hollow length extending from said proximal end to said distal end, said hollow length having a flat top surface with a lateral aperture near said distal end through which a cutting blade can be extended and retracted under operation of the cutting tool extension system while visualizing tissue at said lateral aperture with said optical system, said flat top surface having a width dimension spanning a distance from a first side to a second side of said flat top surface, and a lower surface connected to said first side and said second side of said flat top surface, said lower surface being sized to permit a passage of an optical system and a cutting tool extension system between said flat top surface and said lower surface, said lower surface either i) being semi-circular in cross-section having an arc measuring 180 degrees, or ii) having sloped sides where a slope of each side beginning at said first and second sides of said flat top surface is greater than or equal to a 5 degree angle inward from a vertical line passing through said first and second sides of said flat top surface, wherein said lower surface at all points below said flat top surface at said first and second sides has a width which is less than said width dimension of said flat top surface.