Pratt Crypt Hook, 21.6 cm – Long Style

A hook does what a blade cannot in a narrow pocket. There is no room to introduce a retractor and open it, so instead the hook is passed in, engaged on the tissue and drawn out — the structure comes to the surgeon rather than the surgeon reaching in after it. That only works if the hook can reach the bottom of the pocket, which is what the long style is for.

At 21.6 cm this is the long member of the pattern, roughly double a finger-held hook. The trade is feel: at that length the surgeon senses far less of what the tip is engaging, so the hook is worked slowly and by sight rather than by touch. The slim profile matters as much as the length — a hook thick enough to be robust is also thick enough to block the view down the same narrow opening it entered.

Specifications