A medical instrument usable with an ultrasound-endoscope for performing aneedle biopsy on a patient's internal body tissues usable at a surgical sitenot visible to the unaided eye or viewed endoscopically, comprises an elongatetubular member with a hollow needle element connected at its distal end, asheath member housing said tubular member and needle element, an actuatorsubassembly with a shifter member operatively connected to elongate tubularmember's proximal end, and a distal camming subassembly, said subassemblyenabling a rotating motion of said needle member while handle actuator ismoved in the forward direction. Upon inserting an ultrasound-endoscope into apatient and locating a mass, the fine needle with sharply pointed spoon shapeddistal end is inserted into the mass aided by endoscopic and ultrasonographicguidance. Once in the mass, a camming action is initiated, causing rotation ofthe fine needle within the mass, resulting in a scooped out core biopsy. Thisinstrument enables the performance of a fine needle aspiration requiring onlyone or two needle introductions, with a resultant core biopsy substantialenough for diagnostic purposes.
