Langenbeck Periosteal Elevator, 19 cm – 17 mm Sharp Blade

17 mm is a wide blade for an elevator, and width is the defining feature of the Langenbeck pattern. Periosteum lifted with a narrow instrument comes away in strips that have to be joined up, and each junction is a place where the layer can tear or be left partly attached. A blade approaching the full width of the exposure raises the membrane in one continuous sheet, which both saves time and leaves the periosteum intact enough to be laid back and closed over the bone at the end of the procedure.

The blade is sharp rather than blunt because it is meant to establish the plane, not just follow one. Periosteum adheres firmly to cortical bone, particularly at ridges and muscle attachments, and a sharp edge held flat against the surface separates it cleanly at the interface. Held correctly the sharpness works with the bone rather than against the tissue — the cutting edge stays on the cortex, so the membrane peels away as a sheet.

Specifications