Importance

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Abstract

A cannula and surgical methods include a tubular body, for housing an endoscope having a lighted, viewing end disposed near the distal end of the body that is selectively covered by a blunt, transparent, tissue-separating tip. Endoscopic viewing through the tip is enhanced by inner walls that taper to a cusp adjacent the blunt tip in order to reduce visual distortion. Alternatively, a removable or deflectable tip exposes a probe and endoscope to facilitate viewing and dissection of connective tissue and lateral vessels along the course of a blood vessel for subsequent harvesting or other treatment of the isolated blood vessel. The dissection probe includes a partial ring for passing along the vessel and past lateral branching vessels under visualization through the endoscope and the transparent tip. Surgical procedures including making an initial incision, above an artery or other vessel to establish an initial portion of an elongated working cavity of bluntly-dissected tissue. Lateral branches are doubly occluded, and then severed to isolate the vessel for harvesting and use as a graft conduit.

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First Claim