Steerable instrument comprising a cilindrical diameter adaptation section

Abstract

A steerable instrument (10) for endoscopic and / or invasive type of applications, such as in surgery, which has an elongated tubular body (18) having a proximal end part (11) with a first actuation flexible zone (14, 15) having a first diameter and a distal end part (13) having a first distal flexible zone (16, 17) having a second diameter that is different from the first diameter. A cylindrical diameter adaptation section (164) is arranged to connect the proximal end part (11) to the distal end part (13) such that a flexion in a radial direction relative to a longitudinal center axis of the longitudinal tubular body of the first actuation flexible zone (14, 15) results in an amplified orattenuated flexion of the first distal flexible zone (16, 17).

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a steerable instrument for endoscopic and / or invasive applications such as in surgery, the instrument comprising an elongated tubular body having a cylindrical diameter adapting section. Steerable instruments according to the present invention can be used in both medical and non-medical applications. Examples of the latter include inspecting and / or repairing mechanical and / or electronic hardware in hard-to-reach locations. Therefore, terms such as endoscopic application or invasive instrument used in the following description must be interpreted in a broad manner. Background technique [0002] Transforming surgical interventions that require large incisions to expose the target area to minimally invasive surgical interventions that require only a natural orifice or small incision to establish access to the target area is a well-known ongoing process. In performing minimally invasive surgical interventions, an operator...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0010] A disadvantage of steerable instruments comprising diameter-adapted arrangements known from the prior art is that the construction of these instruments is rather cumbersome and therefore expensive, at least in the part of the diameter-adapted arrangement

Another disadvantage of steerable instruments comprising known diameter adaptation arrangements is that such arrangements have reduced reliability as they are more susceptible to failure due to damage

A further disadvantage of steerable instruments comprising known diameter adaptation arrangements is that such arrangements increase the diameter of the elongate tubular body of the steerable instrument

In cases where multiple steerable instruments are used during an intervention, the increased diameter of the steerable instrument's elongated tubular body can compromise its maneuverability, which is of course highly undesirable

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