Cottle Alar Nasal Retractor, 15 cm, 22 x 13 mm Blade

What the cottle alar nasal retractor is

The cottle alar nasal retractor holds the ala and the nostril margin back so the surgeon can see into the alar pocket and the vestibule beneath it. It is named after Maurice Cottle, whose work shaped modern nasal surgery, and our pattern is 15 cm long with a 22 mm by 13 mm solid blade.

The blade is contoured to sit against the curve of the nostril rather than across it. That sounds like a detail and it is the whole instrument: a flat blade held against a curved margin loads on two corners, and a contoured one lies along it.

It is made for localized work. On an open approach an Aufricht is holding far more tissue, and that is the right choice there; here the job is one nostril and the pocket behind it.

Key design features of the cottle alar nasal retractor

Four features, and every one is sized to a nostril.

• Contoured solid blade. Lies along the curve of the ala instead of pressing across it.
• 22 mm by 13 mm. Enough face to hold the margin, small enough to stay out of the view it is creating.
• 15 cm overall. Short. A long instrument in a nostril is mostly handle in the way.
• Blunt throughout. Everything it touches is vestibular skin or mucosa.

Cottle alar nasal retractor size

One size ships from this page, and both figures come from our own product record.

The 15 cm length and the 22 mm by 13 mm blade are ours to state because our own record carries them. Nothing else is stated, and no competitor figure is repeated here.

Where a nasal alar retractor is used

A nasal alar retractor turns up wherever the work is at the nostril rather than on the dorsum.

What the blade holds, and what it does not

A blade cut for one nostril has clear limits, so they are stated rather than left to be found.

How this cottle rhinoplasty retractor compares with the others

Four of the rows below are our own. A cottle rhinoplasty retractor is the localized end of that run, and the Aufricht is the broad end of it.

Materials and finish

Made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, satin finished so the operating light does not bounce out of the nostril into the surgeon eye. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The blade is solid rather than perforated and its edge is rolled, because a margin held for the length of a case should not be marked by the thing holding it.

Care and sterilization

Clean with a soft brush under running water, working the inside of the contour and the junction with the handle where tissue collects, then rinse in deionized water and dry fully before autoclaving. Store flat with nothing resting across the blade. The contour is the instrument, so a blade that has been knocked flat is no longer this pattern: check the curve against the light before it goes back into the set.

Ordering and wholesale

Adas Instruments makes this pattern to order at 15 cm with the 22 mm by 13 mm blade, and supplies hospitals, surgical centers and distributors across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Bulk and wholesale pricing is available, and instruments held on backorder ship in 10 to 12 working days. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Certifications: CE. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What is a cottle nasal retractor used for?

Holding the ala and the nostril margin back so the alar pocket and the vestibule can be seen. It is used in rhinoplasty, septoplasty, functional nasal surgery and general ENT work, wherever the exposure needed is at the nostril rather than on the dorsum.

What is alar retraction?

Two different things share the phrase, so it is worth separating them. In the operating room it means holding the ala back with an instrument to see past it, which is what this retractor does. In discussing the appearance of a nose it describes a nostril rim that sits higher than it should, which is a finding rather than a technique. This page is about the first.

Cottle or Aufricht, which retractor should I order?

Cottle for localized alar and vestibular exposure, Aufricht for lifting the whole skin envelope off the dorsum in an open approach. Most nasal sets carry both, because they are not alternatives so much as two different moments in the same operation.

What is the blade size?

22 mm by 13 mm, solid and contoured, on an instrument 15 cm long. Those figures are from our own product record rather than from a catalogue somewhere else.

Which instrument is a retractor?

One whose job is to hold tissue aside rather than cut or grasp it. Handheld retractors such as this one are held by an assistant throughout; self retaining retractors lock open on a frame instead. Every nasal retractor in this family is handheld.

Related products and categories

Buyers who order the cottle alar nasal retractor usually order alongside it the aufricht nasal retractor, the aufricht nasal retractor fiber optic and the maliniac nasal retractor. The whole family sits in hooks and retractors, and this pattern is also listed under rhinoplasty instruments.