An apparatus for determining endoscopic dimensional measurements, including alightsource for projecting light patterns on a surgical sight including shapes withactual dimensionalmeasurements and fiducials, and a means for analyzing the projecting lightpatterns on thesurgical sight by comparing the actual dimensional measurements of theprojected light patternsto the surgical site. The projected light patterns may include multiplewavelengths of light formeasurements of different features of tissue and may be produced using a laserin conjunctionwith a light shaping optical diffuser, or using a light emitting diode inconjunction with a lightshaping optical diffuser, or using a special filter. The projected lightpatterns may take the formof concentric rings with each ring representing a radius of a given dimensionand may be acollimated pattern which does not significantly change size as a function of adistance to aprojected plane.
