Placing and removing surgical stents

1 . A hand-held endoscope system comprising:

a handle configured to be grasped by a user;

a single-use stent deploying portion having a housing configured to removably attach to said handle and comprising:

a shaft extending from a distal end of the housing, the shaft having a proximal portion within an annular space of the housing so that the shaft moves between proximal and distal positions;

an outer sleeve extending distally from the shaft;

an inner cannula fixed to the housing and configured to fit within the outer sleeve for relative sliding motion directly therebetween;

a collar or catch coupled with the outer sleeve and configured to move together therewith between the distal position in which distal ends of the inner cannula and the outer sleeve align and the proximal position by which a distal portion of the inner cannula protrudes distally from the outer sleeve;

wherein said distal portion of the inner cannula and a distal portion of the outer sleeve are dimensioned to allow a radial space that is radially therebetween;

wherein said radial space is configured to constrain a radially expandable stent in a compressed state and said distal portion of the inner cannula is configured to engage the stent in said radial space to prevent proximal but not distal motion thereof relative to the inner cannula;

wherein said radial space matches the stent placed therein in length such that when the outer sleeve is at its proximal position the sleeve no longer constrains the stent from radial expansion to an expanded state for remaining in said passage; and

a camera module at the distal end of said inner cannula;

a video screen attached to and mechanically supported by said handle and configured to show images taken with said camera module of the passage and of the stent being deployed therein; and

mechanical and electrical connectors between said housing and said handle;

wherein the housing, shaft, collar, outer sleeve, and inner cannula form the single-use stent-deployment portion of the endoscope system, and the handle and video screen form a reusable portion, and said connectors are configured to release by hand, without tools, for disposal of said single-use portion after use thereof in a patient procedure.

2 . The endoscope system of claim 1 , further comprising a single-use stent removal portion configured to removably attach to said handle and comprising: a second outer sleeve and a second cannula therein that has a distal part equipped with plural hooks configured to fit in a radial space that is radially between the second inner cannula and the second outer sleeve when the second outer sleeve is at an axially distal position relative to the handle and to expand radially when the second outer sleeve is at an axially proximal position relative to the handle and to engage loops of a stent.

3 . The endoscope system of claim 2 , in which said stent removal portion is configured to draw a stent proximally into said radial space between the second outer sleeve and the second inner cannula when the second outer sleeve moves from its distal to its proximal positions relative to the handle.

4 . The endoscope system of claim 1 , in which said inner cannula is in a fixed position relative to the handle when said single-use portion and handle are assembled into said endoscope system.

5 . The endoscope system of claim 1 , further including proximal and distal ports in said outer sleeve and a fluid conduit through which fluid moves within and along a length of said outer sleeve between said ports.

6 . The endoscope system of claim 1 , in which said inner cannula has a distal end stepped down in diameter to engage a matching diameter distal end of a stent to thereby prevent proximal motion but allow distal motion of a stent relative to the inner cannula.

7 . The endoscope system of claim 1 , in which at least distal portions of the outer sleeve and the inner cannula are sufficiently flexible to bend while being inserted in curving portions of said passage.

8 . A hand-held endoscope system comprising:

a handle configured to be grasped by a user;

a single-use stent deploying portion having a housing configured to removably attach to said handle and comprising:

a shaft extending from a distal end of the housing, the shaft having a proximal portion within an annular space of the housing so that the shaft moves between proximal and distal positions;

an outer sleeve extending distally from the shaft;

an inner cannula fixed to the housing and configured to fit directly within the outer sleeve;

said outer sleeve being configured to move relative to the housing and the inner cannula between the distal position and the proximal position;

wherein when the outer sleeve is in its proximal position a distal portion of the inner cannula protrudes distally from the outer sleeve and when the outer sleeve is in its distal position a tubular stent fits in a radial space that is radially between distal portions of the outer sleeve and the inner cannula; and

a camera module at the distal end of said inner cannula;

a video screen attached to and mechanically supported by said handle and configured to show images taken with said camera module of the passage and of the stent being deployed therein; and

mechanical and electrical connectors between said housing and said handle;

wherein the housing, shaft, outer sleeve and cannula form the single-use stent-deployment portion of the endoscope system, and the handle and video screen form a reusable portion, and said connectors release by hand, without tools, for disposal of said single-use portion after use thereof in a patient procedure.

9 . The endoscope system of claim 8 , further comprising a single-use stent removal portion that is configured to removably attach to said handle and comprises a second inner cannula and a second outer sleeve surrounding at least an axial extent of the second inner cannula, wherein the second inner cannula has plural hooks at a distal end thereof, which hooks are configured to fit in the second outer sleeve when the second outer sleeve is in a distal position relative to the second canula and to expand radially when the second outer sleeve is in a proximal position relative to the second cannula and to engage loops at a proximal portion of the stent.

10 . The endoscope system of claim 9 , in which said stent removal portion is configured to draw the stent proximally into said outer sleeve as the second outer sleeve moves from its proximal to its distal position relative to the second inner cannula.

11 . The endoscope system of claim 8 , further including proximal and distal ports in said outer sleeve and a fluid conduit through which fluid moves within and along a length of said outer sleeve between said ports.

12 . The endoscope system of claim 8 , in which said inner cannula has a distal end stepped down in diameter to engage a matching diameter distal end of a stent to thereby prevent proximal motion but allow distal motion of the distal end of a stent relative to the inner cannula.

13 . The endoscope system of claim 8 , in which at least distal portions of the outer sleeve and the inner cannula are sufficiently flexible to bend when being inserted in curving portions of said passage.

14 . A method of deploying a stent in a passage in a patient, comprising:

placing a tubular stent in a compressed state in a radial space that is radially between distal portions of an inner cannula and an outer sleeve of an endoscope such that the stent engages the inner cannula to prevent proximal motion but enable distal motion of the stent relative to the inner cannula;

releasably securing said outer sleeve and inner cannula to an assembly defined by a shaft and a housing, wherein the housing is configured to be removably attached to a handle, wherein the outer sleeve extends distally from the shaft and includes a proximal portion within an annular space of the housing so that the shaft slides between proximal and distal positions, and wherein the inner cannula is fixed to the housing;

inserting the outer sleeve in a passage in the patient's body, with the stent in said radial space between the outer sleeve and the inner cannula;

sliding the outer sleeve directly over the inner cannula, proximally relative to the inner cannula, the stent, and the handle to thereby free the stent of being radially inwardly constrained by the outer sleeve and allow the stent to expand radially outwardly to an expanded state and remain in the passage in the patient;

withdrawing the inner cannula and the outer sleeve from the patient; and

imaging the passage with a video camera at a tip of the inner cannula while inserting the outer sleeve, moving the outer sleeve proximally relative to the inner cannula, and withdrawing the inner cannula and outer sleeve, and displaying the images on a video screen secured to and mechanically supported by said handle.

15 . The method of claim 14 , including connecting said outer sleeve, inner cannula, and housing to said handle through electrical and mechanical connectors that connect and disconnect by hand, without tools.

16 . The method of claim 14 , further including removing a stent that has expanded radially and has remained in the passage by inserting a second outer sleeve into the passage while viewing the passage with a second video camera at a distal tip of a second inner cannula that is in the second outer sleeve, wherein the second outer sleeve and the second inner cannula are releasably attached to said handle, moving the second outer sleeve proximally relative to the second inner cannula to enable hooks secured to the second inner cannula to expand radially outwardly, engaging loops at a proximal portion of the stent with said hooks, moving one or both of the second inner cannula and the second outer sleeve relative to the other to draw the stent into a radial space that is radially between distal portions of the second outer sleeve and the second inner cannula, and withdrawing the second outer sleeve, the second inner cannula, and the stent from the passage.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further including removing a stent that has expanded radially outwardly and has remained in the passage by inserting a second outer sleeve into the passage while viewing the passage with a second video camera at a distal tip of a second inner cannula that is in the second outer sleeve, wherein said second outer sleeve and second cannula are releasably attached to said handle, moving the second outer sleeve proximally relative to the second inner cannula to allow hooks secured to the second inner cannula to expand radially outwardly, engaging loops at a proximal portion of the stent with said hooks, and moving said second inner cannula proximally relative to the passage to remove said stent from the passage.