Flexible endoscopes are exposed to blood, mucus, and other secretions during procedures. Single-use sheaths are designed to prevent contact between contaminants and reusable endoscope components
The usefulness of the endoscopic sheath is underreported in the literature.
In addition to protecting the surrounding brain parenchyma when inserting the endoscope, the endoscopic sheath is a very useful tool to retract neurovascular structures, achieve hemostasis, and create adequate working space within narrow ventricles. The sheath can be moved within the ventricular system, and the endoscope can be moved independently within the sheath. These movements represent all the advantages of the endoscopic sheath.
Marx and Schroeder from the Department of Neurosurgery, University Medicine Greifswald. used an endoscopic sheath in ∼ 300 intraventricular neuroendoscopic procedures and consider the sheath an essential part of a ventriculoscopic system. Proper use of the sheath can help avoid or manage endoscopic complications 1).