Cerkes Weighted Nasal Retractor – Gruber Columella

Open rhinoplasty is a two-handed operation performed through an opening a centimetre or so across, and the columellar flap has to be held up for all of it. Normally that means an assistant’s hand in the field, in the light and in the line of sight. A weighted retractor removes that hand entirely: the weight bears down on the far side, tension holds the blade against the flap, and the exposure maintains itself.

Hands-free retraction also makes the exposure consistent in a way a held retractor is not. An assistant’s pull varies with fatigue and attention, and the flap moves with it — which matters when the surgeon is judging tip projection and dorsal height by millimetres against a moving reference. A fixed weight applies exactly the same tension for the whole procedure, so what is being assessed does not shift between one look and the next.

Specifications