the apparatus of the present disclosure is provided to penetrate body tissue , e . g ., the abdominal wall , and to provide a simultaneous forward directional view of the body tissue being penetrated . referring initially to fig1 and 2 , a trocar assembly 10 includes an obturator assembly 12 and a cannula assembly 14 . as will be discussed below , trocar assembly 10 is configured to receive an endoscope ( not shown ) therethrough in order to provide observation of the body tissue being penetrated . cannula assembly 14 may include any known cannula configurations capable of receiving obturator assembly 12 , including cannulas having insufflation ports , release valves and the like . as used herein , the term obturator assembly refers to the tissue penetrating assembly of the trocar assembly . referring now to fig3 and 4 , obturator assembly 12 includes housing 16 and an obturator sleeve 20 extending distally therefrom . obturator housing 16 includes a handle 17 and a barrel portion 18 . handle 17 may be knurled , formed or otherwise configured for operable engagement by a user . housing 16 further includes a trigger 52 operably mounted thereto and positioned for operable engagement by the user . secured to the distal end 20 b of obturator sleeve 20 is an image passing member 28 . turning now to fig5 - 10 , various views of obturator assembly 12 are shown . referring initially to fig5 , an obturator sleeve 20 is slidably mounted within barrel portion 18 of obturator assembly 12 . obturator sleeve 20 includes a blade assembly 30 that is operably connected to an actuating assembly 40 . a trigger assembly 50 is operably connected to actuating assembly 40 to move blade assembly 30 between a non - deployed position ( fig1 ) and a deployed position ( fig1 ). with reference to fig8 and 9 , blade assembly 30 includes an elongated member 32 having proximal and distal ends 32 a , 32 b and defining a lumen 33 therethrough . lumen 33 is configured for receiving an endoscope therein . a cutting blade or other penetrating member 34 is mounted on distal end 32 b thereof and extends distally therefrom . cutting blade 34 may be securely affixed or selectively engageable with distal end 32 b . a pusher member 36 is mounted on proximal end 32 a of elongated member 32 . elongated member 32 may include one or more openings 33 a for securing pusher member 36 thereto . pusher member 36 defines a substantially annular body having proximal and distal end 36 a , 36 b . proximal end 36 a of pusher member 36 defines a thread portion 37 . threaded portion 37 defines notches 37 a , 37 b ( fig1 ). distal end 36 b of pusher member 36 defines an engagement portion 38 including a flange 38 a . as will be discussed in further detail below , flange 38 a is configured to engage a first spring 47 . referring now to fig8 and 10 , a mounting sleeve 22 includes proximal and distal ends 22 a , 22 b and defines a lumen 21 therebetween . an image passing member 28 is mounted on distal end 22 b of mounting sleeve 22 . distal end 22 b may define any number of openings or slots 21 b configured for securing image passing member 28 thereto . distal end 22 b of mounting sleeve 22 includes notches 23 configured to permit retraction of cutting blade 34 therein . mounted about proximal end 22 a of mounting sleeve 22 is a mounting member 24 . proximal end 22 a may define an opening or detent 21 a for securing mounting member 24 therewith . mounting member 24 defines a substantially annular member having a flanged proximal end 24 a configured to be retained within barrel portion 18 of housing 16 ( fig1 ). distal end 24 b of mounting member 24 include tabs 25 a , 25 b extending distally therefrom . tabs 25 a , 25 b are configured to be received within notches 37 a , 37 b , respectively , formed in threaded portion 37 of pusher assembly 36 . as will be discussed below , receipt of tabs 25 a , 25 b of mounting member 22 within notches 37 a , 37 b of pusher member 36 prevents rotation of blade assembly 30 . notches 37 a , 37 b are sized to permit longitudinal movement of tabs 25 a , 25 b therein as blade assembly 30 is advanced and retracted during actuation . distal end 24 b of mounting member 24 may further include projections 26 a , 26 b thereon for engaging barrel portion 18 of housing 16 , thereby preventing rotation of mounting member 24 . with particular reference to fig1 , image passing member 28 defines a transparent optical window that may be fabricated from a variety of materials such as polystyrene , polymethylmethacrylate ( pmma ), polyurethane , transparent epoxies and / or glass or other transparent materials . ( when made of plastic material , the cost is reduced .) image passing member 28 may include any number of configurations . image passing member 28 may define an image directing member , including a lens , an optical prism , an optical mirror , or like image directing medium . as shown , image passing member 28 defines a substantially dome shaped lens defining a slot 28 a therein for receiving cutting blade 34 ( fig9 ). image passing member 28 may further include tabs 28 b configured to be selectively received within openings 21 b formed in distal end 22 b of mounting sleeve 22 . image passing member 28 may be configured to allow close to a 360 ° forward angle of view . image passing member 28 may further be configured to allow for passage of illumination light from the obturator sleeve 20 to body tissue . with reference now to fig6 and 8 , actuating assembly 40 includes an adjustment member 42 , a hammer or other drive member 46 , a first spring 47 for biasing hammer 46 during actuation , and a second spring 49 for returning blade assembly 30 to a non - deployed position ( fig1 ). adjustment member 42 includes proximal and distal ends 42 a , 42 b and defines a lumen 43 therebetween . lumen 43 is configured to receive proximal end 36 a of pusher member 36 . distal end 42 b of adjustment member 42 defines an adjustment nut 44 . adjustment nut 44 includes a number of protrusions 44 a extending radial therefrom . as will be discussed below , protrusions 44 a are configured to engage tabs 17 ( fig1 a and 12b ) formed in housing 16 to prevent rotation of adjustment member 42 when obturator assembly 12 is fully assembled . distal end 42 b of adjustment member 42 further includes ridges 43 b for engaging hammer 46 . proximal end 42 a of adjustment member 42 includes an internally thread portion 43 a ( fig1 ) for engaging threaded portion 37 of pusher member 36 . still referring to fig6 and 8 , hammer 46 defines a substantially annular member configured to be slidably received over the proximal end 42 a of adjustment member 42 . hammer 46 includes a flanged distal end 46 b configured for engaging ridges 43 b formed on adjustment member 42 . hammer 46 further includes a spring engaging proximal end 46 a for engaging spring 47 upon actuation of obturator assembly 12 . turning back to fig5 and 6 , as discussed above , trigger assembly 50 includes trigger 52 operably mounted within housing 16 of obturator assembly 12 . trigger 52 defines a substantially planar member having a finger rest 54 , a hammer engaging lever 56 and a spring engagement flange 58 . trigger 52 further includes ridges 53 a , 53 b configured to engage housing 16 and to permit trigger 52 to be slidably received therein . finger rest 54 is situated on a distal end 52 b of trigger 52 . finger rest 54 is configured to be operably engaged by one or more fingers of a user . proximal end 56 a of hammer engaging lever 56 is mounted on a proximal end 52 a of trigger 52 . lever 56 extends distally along trigger 52 . hammer engaging lever 56 includes a hammer engagement tab 56 a and a ramp engagement tabs 56 b . as will be discussed below , ramp engagement tabs 56 b are configured to engage a ramp 17 b ( fig1 b , shown in phantom in fig1 and 13 ) formed in housing 16 . as trigger 52 is retracted proximally , ramp engagement tab 56 b engages ramp 17 b . as tab 56 b moves proximally along ramp 17 b lever 56 is biased towards trigger 52 , thereby causing the release of hammer 46 . it is envisioned that trigger assembly 50 may included any suitable release member capable of retracting and releasing hammer 46 . spring engagement flange 58 is formed within proximal end 52 a of trigger 52 . flange 58 is configured to engage a spring 59 . spring 59 is operably mounted between trigger 52 and housing 16 and is configured to return trigger 52 to an initial , pre - fired position following actuation of obturator assembly 12 . with particular reference now to fig6 , prior to final assembly of obturator assembly 12 , adjustment member 42 is received over pusher assembly 36 until inner threads 43 a of adjustment member 42 engage threaded portion 37 of pusher assembly 36 . as will be discussed in further detail below , rotation of adjustment member 42 relative to pusher assembly 36 adjusts the position of cutting blade 34 relative to image passing member 28 , thereby adjusting the length of stroke of blade assembly 30 . hammer 46 and first spring 47 may then be received over proximal end 42 a of adjustment member 42 . mounting sleeve 22 , including image passing member 28 and mounting member 24 mounted thereon , may then be inserted into elongated member 32 of blade assembly 30 through proximal end 32 a . upon complete insertion of mounting sleeve 22 within elongated member 32 , tabs 25 a , 25 b formed in mounting member 24 are received within notches 37 a , 37 b formed in thread portion 37 of pusher member 36 . as discussed above , this configuration prevents the rotation of obturator sleeve 20 relative to housing 16 . in this initial condition , image passing member 28 extends beyond cutting blade 34 , thereby preventing exposure of the cutting surface . once assembled , obturator sleeve 20 is ready to be received within housing 16 . second spring 49 is inserted over the distal end 20 b of obturator sleeve 20 and is received about engagement portion 38 of pusher member 36 . a bushing 11 is also received over distal end 20 b of obturator sleeve 20 to center obturator sleeve 20 within barrel portion 18 of housing 16 and to reduce the friction therebetween as blade assembly 30 is actuated . proximal end 20 a of obturator sleeve 20 receives an introducer member 13 thereon , configured for receiving an endoscope , laparoscope or the like . introducer member 13 includes a sealing ring 13 a mounted on a distal end thereof for sealing the connection between introducer member 13 and mounting member 24 . referring now to fig1 - 15 , the operation of obturator assembly will be described in detail . in a first , or initial condition ( fig1 and 12 ), prior to squeezing of trigger 52 of trigger assembly 50 , cutting blade 34 of blade assembly 30 is received within slot 28 a of image passing member 28 . second spring 49 engages engagement portion 38 of pusher member 36 , thereby maintaining blade assembly 30 in the retracted or initial position . initial squeezing of trigger 52 causes hammer engaging tab 56 a of hammer engaging lever 56 to engage hammer 56 ( fig1 ). continued proximal movement of trigger 52 causes the retraction of hammer 46 relative to pusher member 36 . the continued squeezing of trigger 52 also causes ramp engagement tabs 56 b to engage ramps 17 a formed in housing 16 . engagement of tabs 56 b with ramp 17 b causes hammer engaging lever 56 to be biased towards trigger 52 . ramp 17 b is configured such that hammer engaging tab 56 a of lever 56 biases away from hammer 46 until eventually hammer engaging tab 56 a disengages hammer 46 ( fig1 ). as hammer 46 is retracted proximally along obturator sleeve 20 during the squeezing of trigger 52 , first spring 45 compresses , thereby creating a biasing force acting distally on hammer 46 . upon disengagement of hammer engaging tab 56 a from hammer 46 , hammer 46 is rapidly urged forward . flanged distal end 46 b of hammer 46 rapidly impacts ridges 43 b formed on adjustment member 42 , thereby forcing adjustment member 42 distally . stop surfaces 18 a ( fig1 b ) formed in housing 16 prevent excessive distal movement of adjustment member 42 . distal advancement of adjusting member 42 causes the distal advancement of blade assembly 30 . during advancement of blade assembly 30 cutting blade 34 is exposed from within slot 28 a formed in image passing member 28 . the length of time cutting blade 34 is exposed or in an actuated position is limited because while blade assembly 30 is advanced , second spring 49 is compressed . once the initial distal biasing force on blade assembly 30 has dissipated , return of second spring 49 to an uncompressed condition causes the retraction of blade assembly 30 to its retracted or initial position ( fig1 and 12 ). the advancement of cutting blade 34 from an initial position to an actuated position and back again is referred to as the stroke of movement . once released , spring 59 mounted between trigger 52 and housing 16 causes trigger 52 to also return to its initial position . in this manner , obturator assembly 12 is reset and ready for continued actuation . referring now to fig1 and 17 , as briefly discussed above , the length and / or relative position of stroke of movement of cutting assembly 30 may be adjusted prior to complete assembly of obturator assembly 12 , e . g ., to account for different lengths of components due to manufacturing tolerances thereof . prior to insertion within housing 16 , adjustment member 42 may be rotated relative to pusher member 36 . depending on the configuration of threaded portion 37 of pusher member 36 and internal threads 43 a formed on adjustment member 42 , rotation of adjustment member 42 relative to pusher member 36 in a first direction causes the stroke of blade assembly 30 to increase in length , while rotation of adjustment member 42 in a second direction causes the stroke to decrease in length . in addition , adjustment obturator assembly 12 via adjustment member 42 enables precise initial positioning of the various components , e . g ., cutting blade 34 . in this manner , and using cutting blade 34 as an example , regardless of manufacturing tolerances , each assembled device will be assured of having cutting blade 34 be fully positioned within slot 28 a when in the retracted position and extend a desired distance beyond slot 28 a when in the extended position , thus providing consistent performance between different devices , which , due to manufacturing tolerance , might otherwise provide inconsistent performance relative to each other , resulting in certain devices being discarded upon testing . referring now to fig1 , 19 a , 19 b , in an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure obturator assembly 112 includes an adjustment member 142 may be rotated subsequent assembly of obturator assembly 112 . housing 116 defines a first and second opening 116 a , 116 b therein for accessing adjustment member 142 . housing 116 may further include doors or latches 117 a , 117 b for covering adjustment member 142 during actuation . doors 117 a , 117 b may be pivotally mounted with housing 116 . doors 117 a , 117 b may include tabs 118 a , 118 b for engaging protrusions 144 a formed on adjustment nut 144 of adjustment member 142 , thereby preventing rotation of adjustment member 142 once adjustment member 142 has been rotated sufficiently to set blade assembly ( not shown ) to a desired stroke length . doors 117 a , 117 b may also include grip members 119 a , 119 b for permitting a user access to adjustment member 142 . with particular reference to fig1 a and 19b , doors 117 may be pivotally mounted to barrel portion 118 of housing 116 . it is envisioned that housing 116 may include only a single opening 116 a . it is further envisioned that openings 116 a , 116 b be completely open and not include a door or other cover . in this manner , adjustment member 142 may be readily accessed during a procedure to adjust the length of the stroke of blade assembly 30 . it will be understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present disclosure herein disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . for example , various diameters for the cannula assembly , the obturator assembly , as well as various diameter endoscopes are contemplated . also , various modifications may be made in the configuration of the parts . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting the invention but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as defined by the claims appended hereto .