Fiber optic medical tool

Claim 1

A medical tool for simultaneously providing manipulative access, illumination and visualization within a body orifice comprising: first and second substantially parallel elongated members movable with respect to each other and both having distal ends which are adapted to extend into said body orifice and to enlarge said body orifice to provide manipulative access to a body area interior of said orifice; means coupled to the proximal ends of said first and second members and including means laterally offset with respect to the longitudinal axes of said first and second members for moving apart said first and second members while maintaining said members substantially parallel to each other to enlarge said orifice, thereby providing an unimpeded opening for manipulative access from outside said orifice to the interior of said orifice; lighting means, at least a portion thereof being carried by at least one of said first and second members and extending to the distal end of said at least one member, for illuminating said body area proximate said distal end; fiber optic visualizing means, at least a portion thereof being carried by at least one of said first and second members and extending to the distal end of said at least one member, for providing an image of at least a portion of said body area proximate said distal end; and optical means adapted to be located exterior of said orifice and coupled to said fiber optic visualizing means to provide, exterior of said orifice, a visual representation of said image of said body area proximate the distal ends of said members interior of said enlarged orifice, thereby enabling simultaneous manipulative access, illumination and visualization within said body orifice.