A surgical instrument for deploying an anastomotic ring device has a ring deployment mechanism, which is configured to receive and deploy an anastomotic ring. The instrument further comprises a flexible elongate shaft having one or more actuation cables extending therethrough. The shaft also has an imaging element, which is coupled to a camera with a lens located in the tip of the instrument. The instrument may be inserted through the esophagus of a patient to deploy an anastomotic ring device.