1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a surgical portal apparatus for accessing the body, and more particularly, relates to a surgical portal apparatus having a centering mechanism for maintaining endoscopic instruments aligned within one or more seals.
2. Background of Related Art
Trocar assemblies and other surgical portal apparatuses are used by surgeons to operate on a patient without having to create large incisions that may become infected and may cause major scarring. Portal apparatuses are known in the art, as are the instruments inserted therethrough for operating within the body cavity. Typically a surgical portal apparatus includes a housing and a cannula. Either or both of the housing and the cannula may include one or more seals for preventing the leakage of insufflation gas through the surgical portal apparatus as an instrument is inserted therethrough and/or in the absence of an instrument. Proper operation of many of these seals may be improved when the instrument being inserted through the surgical portal apparatus are maintained in the center of the seal. Thus, in addition to manipulating the instrument inserted through the surgical portal apparatus to performing a procedure, it may be desirable to maintain the instrument centered within the seal.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a surgical portal apparatus that includes a centering mechanism for maintaining an instrument aligned within a seal.