US Patent 6988985 Tissue piercing device for an endoscope

A tissue-piercing device is provided for use with a flexible endoscope for suturing or ligating tissues in body cavities. Two flexible sleeves are provided side by side along the endoscope such that a predetermined distance between the sleeves at a distal end of the endoscope is larger than a width of a channel of the endoscope. Two flexible piercing members are slidably provided in the two flexible sleeves, respectively, so as to extend from a proximal end to the distal end of the endoscope. And each of the flexible piercing members includes a needle.