Bauer Sigmoid Notch Retractor, 20.3 cm – Intraoral

The sigmoid notch is the concave gap in the upper border of the mandibular ramus, between the coronoid and condylar processes. It matters in jaw surgery because it is a fixed bony landmark the surgeon can hook onto — tissue retraction in the ramus region is otherwise unreliable, since soft tissue slides and there is nothing to brace against. This retractor is shaped to seat in that notch and hold position while both hands work.

The blade is only slightly curved, and the notch in the hook is what does the retaining. A deeply curved blade would need a wider opening to be introduced; a shallow curve slides in along the ramus and then engages once the notch is reached. Because the whole approach is intraoral — through the mouth, leaving no facial scar — every millimetre of instrument profile counts, and the retractor is built narrow enough to pass through a cheek retracted only as far as it comfortably goes.

Specifications