Flexible optical surgical instrument

Claim 1

A FLEXIBLE OPTICAL SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR INSERTION INTO AND FOR EXAMINING THE BRONCHI IN THE LUNGS OF A PATIENT, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE SHEATH HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE THROUGH WHICH OXYGEN IS FREE TO PASS INTO THE LUNGS OF A PATIENT, FIRST RESILENT MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID SHEATH FROM ADJACENT THE PROXIMAL END OF SAID SHEATH OVER A PREDETERMINED PORTION THEREOF, SECOND RESILIENT MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID SHEATH FROM ADJACENT THE DISTAL END OF SAID SHEATH TO ADJACENT THE DISTAL END OF SAID FIRST RESILIENT MEANS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND RESILIENT MEANS EACH BEING FLEXIBLE WITH SAID SECOND RESILIENT MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FLEXIBLE THAN SAID FIRST RESILIENT MEANS, MEANS FOR CONDUCTING AN IMAGE OF A FIELD FROM THE DISTAL TO THE PROXIMAL END OF SAID SHEATH INCLUDING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE BUNDLE OF A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF EXTREMELY FINE LIGHTCONDUCTING FIBERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN SAID SHEATH AND MUTUALLY ORIENTED AT THE OPPOSITE END FACES OF SAID BUNDLE SO THAT AN IMAGE PRESENTED TO THE DISTAL END OF SAID BUNDLE IS CONDUCTED TO THE PROXIMAL END FACE THEREOF, MEANS INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS ADJACENT TO THE PROXIMAL END OF SAID SHEATH FOR SELECTIVELY DEFLECTING THE DISTAL END OF SAID IMAGE-CONDUCTING MEANS, MEANS AT THE PROXIMAL END OF SAID IMAGE-CONDUCTING MEANS FOR VIEWING AN IMAGE FORMED ON THE PROXIMAL END FACE OF SAID BUNDLE, MEANS INCLUDING MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID SHEATH FOR ILLUMINATING A FIELD PRESENTED TO THE DISTAL END OF SAID IMAGE-CONDUCTING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING OXYGEN ALONG SAID SHEATH TO SAID APERTURE.