Laser endoscope

Claim 1

In an endoscope having an elongated outer sheath which houses an observation telescope for observing internal body tissue at a site where surgery is being performed, said sheath having a distal end and a proximal end, a housing offset from and extending laterally of the axis of the sheath and capable of conducting a laser beam therethrough, said housing containing a first large diameter laser beam collecting lens for receiving and transmitting a laser beam therethrough, said housing also containing a second lens of considerably smaller diameter than said first lens positioned such that it receives the laser beam directly from said collecting lens and being of a shape such that it reduces the diameter of the laser beam to a fraction of its original diameter, a tube in the sheath extending parallel to the telescope, said tube containing a laser lens relay system and a laser objective lens at the distal end of the tube for concentrating the laser beam at a working focal point on the body tissue, said tube being attached to said housing, a deflecting mirror in said housing adjacent the proximal end of said tube and located on the side of the lens relay system opposite the laser objective lens in position to intercept the reduced diameter laser beam and redirect it to the laser lens relay system, said tube and housing being so oriented that the laser beam conducted by the housing will impinge on the mirror and be deflected by the mirror to the laser lens relay system, the deflecting mirror being tiltable universally in any direction whereby the laser beam may be caused to laterally scan the body tissue along any axis, said second lens being supported for axial adjusting movement along the axis of the laser beam relative to said mirror and said first collecting lens to vary axially the working focal point of the laser beam, said sheath at its proximal end being separably fitted to said housing, and means between said sheath and housing to permit coupling and uncoupling of the housing and sheath so that by uncoupling the housing and sheath said housing together with said tube attached thereto may be detached from the sheath and said tube removed along the housing to permit another instrument to be inserted into the sheath.