Diagnostic instrument

Claim 1

A DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENT OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, INCLUDING IN COMBINATION AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BORE THERETHROUGH AND ADAPTED TO BE INTRODUCED INTO A BODY PASSAGE, AN ACTUATING ASSEMBLY ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID MEMBER, A CELL-COLLECTING ASSEMBLY HAVING SCARIFYING MEANS FOR REMOVING CELLS FROM TISSUE MEMBRANES OF SAID BODY PASSAGE AND BEING ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID MEMBER, FIRST MEANS WITHIN THE TUBULAR MEMBER FOR COUPLING SAID ACTUATING ASSEMBLY AND SAID CELL-COLLECTING ASSEMBLY, SAID FIRST MEANS BEING LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE IN AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID ACTUATING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING SECOND MEANS COOPERABLE WITH A RESULTING PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL SOURCE FOR SELECTIVELY FACILITATING THE DILATION AND ASPIRATION OF THE BODY PASSAGE, THE BORE OF SAID MEMBER EXTENDING TO A LOCATION ADJACENT SAID OPPOSITE END ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE BODY PASSAGE, SAID SECOND MEANS HAVING A BORE COMMUNICATING WITH THE BORE OF SAID MEMBER, SAID ACTUATING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID FIRST MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CELL-COLLECTING ASSEMBLY RELATIVE TO SAID MEMBER, SAID ACTUATING ASSEMBLY FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID FIRST MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID MEMBER TO RETRACT SAID CELL-COLLECTING ASSEMBLY WITHIN AND PROJECTING IT BEYOND SAID MEMBER, SAID CELL-COLLECTING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING MANDREL, SAID SCARIFYING MEANS SURROUNDING SAID MANDREL, SAID SCARIFYING MEANS INCLUDING A DISPOSABLE EXPANSIBLE HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL MEMBER OPEN AT ONE END AND CLOSED AT THE OTHER END, AND SAID CELLCOLLECTING ASSEMBLY FURTHER INCLUDING AN EXPANSIBLE CORE MEMBER DISPOSED OVER PORTIONS OF SAID MANDREL AND BEING WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER BEING REMOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CORE MEMBER, SAID FIRST MEANS HAVING AN AIR PASSAGE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CORE MEMBER AND MEANS FOR COUPLING THE AIR PASSAGE TO A SOURCE OF AIR PRESSURE TO THEREBY CONNECT SAID CORE MEMBER WITH A SOURCE OF AIR PRESSURE TO EXPAND SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER.