Whenever staff members of Myriad begin project discussions with a new customer, we at some point review terminology. If everyone isn’t interpreting the words and phrases the same way, there’s going to be misunderstandings, disappointments and mistakes. In this blog we’re going to review some of the most used terms with regards to endoscopes. The attached figure/drawing is numbered to match the following terms.

1. Distal End – This is the end of the scope farthest from the viewers eye, or CCD/CMOS camera.
2. Angle of View – The angular displacement from the physical axis of the scope.
3. Field of View – The conical viewing area of the scope provided by the system optics.
4. Fiber Illumination – The area lit by the illumination components, usually larger than the viewing area.
5. Working Diameter – The largest diameter of the scope that is inserted into the body, directly or through a sheath.
6. Working Length – The maximum straight length of the scope with a maximum diameter equal to the working diameter.
7. Strain Relief – A short section of extra sheathing, located next to the scope body, used to minimize strain/stress on the imaging fibers.
8. Scope Body – The main structure of the scope incorporating the proximal optics, and terminations of the image and illumination fibers.
9. Light Post – Standard ACMI, Wolf, Storz, or Olympus adaptor for connection to a light source.
10. Eyecup – Used for viewing by eye, or with a coupler, attaching to a video camera.
11. Proximal End – This end of the scope is closest to the viewer/camera.