This paper describes the development of a compact laparoscopic endoscope manipulator and its command interface for use as a surgical assistant during minimally invasive surgery. The deŽ ning feature of the endoscope manipulator is that it is su  ciently small and lightweight to be Ž xed directly on the abdomen of the patient. The mechanism of the manipulator controls the orientation of the end...

The usefulness of magnifying endoscopy was assessed by examining the extent to which a magnifying endoscope can provide images of pits and by analyzing the consistency of the pit patterns visualized by magnifying endoscopy with the pit patterns visible under a stereomicroscope. Study materials consisted of 83 cases of tumorous colorectal lesions. Under a magnifying endoscope, pits were visible ...

OBJECTIVE Flexible and semi-flexible micro-endoscopes were used in cochlear scala tympani inspection , to explore their application in inner ear examination. METHOD Fifteen profound hearing loss patients preparing for cochlear implant were included in this study. During the operation, micro-endoscopy was performed after opening the cochlear scala tympani. And 1 mm diameter semi-flexible micro...

BACKGROUND Steering the tip of a flexible endoscope relies on the physician's dexterity and experience. For complex flexible endoscopes, conventional controls may be inadequate. METHODS A steering method based on a multi-degree-of-freedom haptic device is presented. Haptic cues are generated based on the endoscopic images. The method is compared against steering using the same haptic device w...

OBJECTIVES To generate a fast and robust 3-D visualization of the operation site during minimal invasive surgery. METHODS Light fields are used to model and visualize the 3-D operation site during minimal invasive surgery. An endoscope positioning robot provides the position and orientation of the endoscope. The a priori un-known transformation from the endoscope plug to the endoscope tip (ha...

Background/Purpose. The difficulties of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with Billroth II gastrectomy have been reported. We evaluated the usefulness of an anterior oblique-viewing endoscope and a double-balloon enteroscope for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in such patients. Methods. From January 2003 to December 2011, 65 patients with Billroth II gast...