Endoscope with tapered shaft

摘要

A fiber optic endoscope has a shaft with a varying outer diameter. The distal end of the shaft is sufficiently small in outside diameter for maneuvering it through various body canals, and is useful in dilating body orifices to allow more proximal, longer-diameter portions of the shaft to penetrate. The endoscope shaft changes in thickness and is preferably in stages of different constant outside diameter. A flexible tip portion at the distal end of the shaft which is controllable from the endoscope handle may be included. Transitions between adjacent stages are smooth to provide a gradual transition between stages. The endoscope outer shaft is preferably made from a one-piece structure, portions of which are reduced in outside diamter to provide the different stages of the endoscope shaft.