Cottle Chisel Fishtail | Graduated 16mm Nasal Osteotome

What the Cottle chisel fishtail is

The Cottle chisel fishtail, which catalogues also list as the Cottle fishtail osteotome, is used in rhinoplasty, septoplasty and reconstructive craniofacial surgery to cut nasal bone with a blade that flares outward instead of running parallel.

The flare is the whole idea. A parallel blade contacts the bone across its own width and no more, so if the bone is uneven the edge can slip sideways or dive forward into something softer behind it. A tip that widens to 16mm spreads the contact across more bone, and a blade that is bedded across a wider surface stays in the line it was set in when the mallet lands. Surgeons call that not diving, and it is the reason this pattern exists alongside the straight Cottles.

The shaft is graduated so depth is read rather than judged, and the handle end is flat for a mallet. Adas Instruments makes it as a single instrument, item code AM-04.16.

Key design features of the fishtail nasal osteotome

A tip that flares to 16mm

The blade widens symmetrically toward the edge. Both the width and the symmetry matter: a wide tip spreads the load, and a symmetrical one loads evenly on both sides so the blade does not steer as it advances. An asymmetric tip under a mallet walks off line.

Why a wide blade resists diving

Bone is not uniform. Where a narrow edge finds a soft spot it drops into it and the cut deviates; a wide edge bridges that spot because the rest of the tip is still bearing on solid bone. On the nose that difference shows in the profile afterwards, which is why the shape earned a name of its own.

A graduated shaft

Marks along the shaft give a reading of how far the blade has travelled. The blade is out of sight almost as soon as it enters, and with a 16mm tip in a confined cavity knowing the depth matters more rather than less.

A flat handle end, one piece throughout

The far end is flat so a mallet lands square and transfers the whole tap into the blade. There is no joint, screw or moving part on the instrument, so nothing works loose and there is no hinge for tissue or cleaning solution to sit in.

What the 16mm fishtail blade is for

One pattern, one blade. The 16mm figure below is the width across the flare and it comes from our own product record, not from a trade average.

The exact graduation intervals are not recorded in our product data for this item, so they are not stated here. Suppliers describe this pattern with marks at 10mm intervals or at 20, 30, 40 and 50mm; our own records do not confirm which, so this page does not print a figure. Ask us and we will measure one.

Where the Cottle chisel fishtail is used

Each row is a procedure this instrument is bought for, and each one says nasal or craniofacial. The word osteotome is shared with dental implantology, where it means a sinus lift instrument, and that is a different tool entirely.

In all of these the approach is made first and the osteotome is driven by short mallet taps. The fishtail is picked over a parallel blade when the bone under the cut is uneven or thin.

What it cuts, and what it has to leave alone

The point of a wide symmetrical tip is what it does not do. It does not slip, and it does not drop into a soft spot and take the cut somewhere it was not meant to go.

The fourth row is the one this blade shape was designed around. A blade that dives has already gone somewhere the surgeon did not choose.

How it compares with the rest of the nasal osteotome family

Five nasal osteotomes sit beside each other here, told apart by WHERE ON THE NOSE they work and by the shape of the blade rather than by grade or price.

So: the fishtail is the one to reach for when the blade must not wander, the straight 18cm Cottle is the general purpose release in nine widths, the curved Cottle follows the sidewall curve, and the Rubin and the Rozner work the bridge.

Cottle chisel fishtail materials and finish

The instrument is ground from high quality medical grade stainless steel, hardened through the blade so the edge holds under mallet work and left softer along the shaft so an off square tap does not set a bend. The steel itself is made to a German specification.

The finish is satin rather than mirror bright. A polished blade under a headlamp throws light back up the nostril; satin scatters it and keeps the depth marks readable instead of lost in glare.

Caring for a Cottle chisel fishtail

Rinse the blade and the graduations under cool running water as soon as the case is over. Bone dust sets into etched marks and once they cannot be read the instrument has lost the feature it was bought for.

Ultrasonic clean in a neutral pH enzymatic solution, rinse in deionized water, then dry fully before pouching. Tap water dried on steel is the ordinary cause of pitting.

Autoclave at 134 degrees Celsius. Store with the edge guarded. A 16mm edge has more length to protect than a narrow one and it is the widest part of the instrument, so it is also the part most likely to meet another blade in a tray.

Ordering a Cottle chisel fishtail, and wholesale

The Cottle chisel fishtail is supplied as a single instrument, item code AM-04.16, with the 16mm fishtail blade on a graduated shaft. It is ground and finished in our own workshop so it can be ordered to match the handle pattern of the other nasal osteotomes on a tray.

Wholesale and distributor pricing is available on quantity, and larger orders can carry a laser marked hospital or practice reference at no separate tooling charge. Tell us the quantity and the marking text and we will quote both.

Item code AM-04.16. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Stock items ship from our own workshop. Backorder items take 10 to 12 working days to make. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Cottle fishtail chisel used for

It cuts nasal bone in rhinoplasty, septoplasty and reconstructive craniofacial surgery. The blade flares to 16mm, which spreads the contact across more bone so the edge stays in the line it was set in rather than slipping or dropping off it.

Is the Cottle fishtail chisel the same as a fishtail osteotome

Yes. The same instrument is listed both ways, as a Cottle fishtail chisel and as a Cottle fishtail osteotome, and people search for both. If you have been quoted either name, this is the instrument.

Why is the blade shaped like a fishtail

So the contact with the bone is wider than the shaft. A wide symmetrical tip loads evenly and bridges a soft or uneven spot instead of dropping into it, which is what keeps the cut on the line the surgeon chose.

What is a surgical chisel

A bladed instrument driven by a mallet to divide bone or cartilage along a line. A chisel is normally beveled on one face; a gouge has a concave trough and scoops; an osteotome is beveled on both faces and splits into bone.

What is the difference between a chisel and an osteotome

The bevel. One face ground makes a chisel, which shaves a surface and has a flat side to lay against tissue. Both faces ground makes an osteotome, which splits straight into bone. This instrument is listed under both words because catalogues have never agreed on which it is.

Related products and categories

• Rubin nasal osteotome
• Rozner nasal osteotome
• Cottle nasal osteotome curved

Browse the full range of osteotomes, chisels and gouges, or see the wider set of rhinoplasty instruments this instrument belongs to.