Patent ID: 7736301

Claim:
An elongated intracorporeal optical instrument, comprising: a. an elongated shaft having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal portions having ends, the proximal portion having a substantially constant outer diameter, an optical pathway configured for passing optical radiation, and an internal surface having a proximal portion and defining an internal chamber within the elongated shaft extending to the optical pathway; b. an elongated optical fiber extending substantially a length of said internal chamber of said elongated shaft; c. a ferrule directly connected to said optical fiber and having a distal portion with a diameter and an outer surface, a proximal portion with a substantially constant outer diameter and an outer surface, the outer diameter being substantially the same as the outer diameter of the elongated shaft proximal portion, and configured to have a first position in which said ferrule is secured to the elongated shaft and a second position in which the ferrule is released from the elongated shaft and is free to rotate around said longitudinal axis; wherein said ferrule diameters are each less than about 0.01 inch.