Endoscope with reusable core and disposable sheath with passageways

Claim 1

An improved endoscope having a sterilizable or fluid immersible optical section and a throwaway sterile outer sheath channel section, said endoscope comprising: an elongated cylindrical core housing, having a distal end and a proximal end, with optical lens means mounted in said distal end thereof; an image sensor slidably received into said proximal end of said cylindrical core housing and slidable into said distal end of said cylindrical core housing adjacent to said optical lens means; an electronic cable having a distal end connected to said image sensor and extending proximally from said cylindrical core housing for transmitting electronic signals from said image sensor to a video control unit and then to a remote image display device; a cylindrical channel section having a cylindrical wall having a distal end and a proximal, end and with a transparent window at said distal end thereof, and having a central passageway for receiving and positioning said cylindrical core housing with said image sensor and said optical lens means adjacent said window, and having a plurality of longitudinal channels integrally disposed within and around the circumference of said cylindrical wall, communicating with said distal end thereof; a light fiber extending through each of said channels to said distal end of said cylindrical wall, for transmitting light to the site under investigation from a remote light source; and means for releasably connecting said housing to said channel section, said channel section being disposable after use on a patient and said housing being sterilizable or soakable for reuse with another new sterile channel section on the next patient.