mindmap root((SCOP)) endoscope A lighted tubular medical instrument for viewing the interior or a hollow organ or body part that typically has one or more channels to permit passage of surgical instruments.
🌱Possible uses of the endoscope outside of medicine soon became apparent, and soon mechanics were using specially designed endoscopes to view the insides of jet engines. 🌳The Greek prefix endo- means "within, inside," so around 1860 an early crude instrument for looking deep inside the body was named the endoscope. But modern endoscopy required the invention of the electric lightbulb and then fiber-optic cable, so the first modern endoscopes date only to 1967. An endoscope may be inserted through a natural passageway （for example, through the nose or down the esophagus） or through a tiny cut in the skin. A tiny camera with a light at the end of the cable sends back images onto a screen, and the surgeon uses special instruments that work through a tube alongside the cable. There are now specialized types of endoscopes for every part of the body, where they can take tissue samples, cut out small growths, or remove foreign objects. arthroscopic Relating to a fiber-optic instrument that is inserted through an incision near a joint to examine the joint's interior.
🌱The day he scheduled the fourth arthroscopic operation on his knee was the day he decided to hang up his football cleats. 🌳In Greek, arthron means "joint." Arthritis is a condition of swollen and painful joints, and arthropods are animals （including insects, arachnids, and crustaceans） that have a segmented body and jointed limbs. Arthroscopic surgery, or arthroscopy, has revolutionized the treatment of joint injuries. It's performed with an arthroscope, a specialized type of endoscope （See above.）A tiny camera and a light are inserted through a small cut in the skin, and through another cut nearby a tiny surgical instrument, controlled through its own cable, is inserted. The surgeon then performs the operation, guided by the images sent back via the fiber-optic cable. Most patients walk out of the hospital on crutches the same day, though full recovery may take a couple of months. laparoscopy Examination of the interior of the abdomen using a fiber-optic instrument inserted through a cut in the abdomen's wall.
🌱The initial laparoscopy involves inserting the cable through a tiny cut and inflating the internal area with carbon dioxide so that a good-sized area will become visible. 🌳Since laparo- means "wall of the abdomen," a laparoscope is an endoscope designed especially to examine the abdomen. Common laparoscopic surgeries include removal of the gallbladder, appendix, or kidney, and removal of tumors from abdominal organs. Like the other endoscopic surgeries, laparoscopy, as compared to traditional surgery, reduces risk of bleeding, pain following the operation, patient recovery time, and length of hospital stays. oscilloscope An instrument that shows visual images of changing electrical current on a screen.
🌱An oscilloscope next to the bed was monitoring her vital signs, but otherwise it was hard for a visitor to be sure she was even alive. 🌳In Latin oscillare means "to swing," and our word oscillation usually means "vibration" or "variation," especially in a changing flow of electricity. The oscilloscope basically draws a graph of an electrical signal. Since all kinds of physical phenomena can be converted into an electric voltage, oscilloscopes can be used to measure such things as sound, light, and heat. So an oscilloscope can analyze how one clarinet's sound is different from another's, or how one bulb's light differs from another's. Auto mechanics use oscilloscopes to measure engine vibrations; doctors use them to measure brain waves. Audio technicians use oscilloscopes to diagnose problems in audio equipment; TV and radio technicians use them to diagnose TV and radio problems. But oscilloscopes are most essential today to high-tech electronics experimentation.