3934 results about "Endoscopy" patented technology

Endoscopic apparatus is provided, having a distal end (102) for insertion into a body of a patient and a proximal end that is held outside the body of the patient. The apparatus includes a proximal cylinder (404), disposed in a vicinity of the proximal end of the endoscopic apparatus. A proximal piston (406) is slidably contained within the proximal cylinder. A distal cylinder (328) is disposed in a vicinity of the distal end of the endoscopic apparatus, and a distal piston (310) is slidably contained within the distal cylinder. A tube (402) for containing a liquid is coupled between the proximal and distal cylinders. A tool (e.g., biopsy tool 115) is coupled to be actuated by displacement of the distal piston, so as to perform a mechanical action on tissue of the body or contents of the body, responsive to displacement of the distal piston.

An optical image-based tracking system determines the position and orientation of objects such as biological materials or medical devices within or on the surface of a human body undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Three-dimensional coordinates of the object to be tracked are obtained initially using a plurality of MR-compatible cameras. A calibration procedure converts the motion information obtained with the optical tracking system coordinates into coordinates of an MR system. A motion information file is acquired for each MRI scan, and each file is then converted into coordinates of the MRI system using a registration transformation. Each converted motion information file can be used to realign, correct, or otherwise augment its corresponding single MR image or a time series of such MR images. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides real-time computer control to track the position of an interventional treatment system, including surgical tools and tissue manipulators, devices for in vivo delivery of drugs, angioplasty devices, biopsy and sampling devices, devices for delivery of RF, thermal energy, microwaves, laser energy or ionizing radiation, and internal illumination and imaging devices, such as catheters, endoscopes, laparoscopes, and like instruments. In other embodiments, the invention is also useful for conventional clinical MRI events, functional MRI studies, and registration of image data acquired using multiple modalities.