Patent ID: 8235942

Claim:
A method for visualizing the interior of a bodily passageway at a remote location, the method comprising the steps of: providing a visualization system for deployment in the bodily passageway, the visualization system comprising: a tube having a non-rotating distal portion, a non-rotating proximal portion, and a rotatable intermediate portion disposed between the non-rotating distal portion and the non-rotating proximal portion, wherein the rotatable intermediate portion is rotatable relative to the non-rotating distal portion and the non-rotating proximal portion; a drive unit disposed within the tube for rotating the rotatable intermediate portion; visualization apparatus disposed within a lumen of the distal portion of the tube; and a helical thread disposed on an exterior surface of the rotatable intermediate portion, the helical thread having a sufficient structural integrity, and a sufficient surface profile, such that when the tube is disposed in the bodily passageway and the helical thread engages an interior side wall of the bodily passageway, rotation of the rotatable intermediate portion induces a relative movement between the tube and the side wall of the bodily passageway; inserting the visualization system into the bodily passageway at a location remote from the site which is to be visualized; rotating the rotatable intermediate portion of the tube using the drive unit so as to bring together the site which is to be visualized and the visualization apparatus; and using the visualization apparatus to visualize the interior of the bodily passageway.