Patent ID: 8747300

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: visualization apparatus; a tube having a non-rotating proximal portion and a rotatable portion disposed at a distal end of the non-rotating proximal portion and rotatable relative to the non-rotating proximal portion, the tube being sized to receive visualization apparatus, wherein the rotatable portion is disposed between a non-rotating distal portion of the visualization apparatus and the non-rotating proximal portion; a drive unit disposed within the tube, rotating the rotatable portion; and a helical thread disposed on the exterior surface of said rotatable portion, wherein rotation of the rotatable 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 a site which is to be visualized; rotating the rotatable 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.