Medial Condyle Retractor, 16 cm

A condyle is a rounded articular surface, and retracting around one is different from holding a flat wound edge. The soft tissue wraps the curve, so a straight blade contacts it at a point and slides off as soon as tension is applied. A retractor shaped for this region seats against the contour and stays put, which matters because it is usually holding ligament and capsule that spring back the instant the instrument shifts.

16 cm keeps the exposure workable. Joint approaches are deliberately limited — the smaller the arthrotomy, the better the recovery — so the instrument has to work through a short opening rather than widen it. A longer retractor in a shallow joint exposure projects out and fouls the saw, the trial components and the surgeon’s own hands in a field that is already crowded.

Specifications