Cottle Nasal Osteotome Curved | Graduated Bone Chisel | Rhinoplasty Tool

What the Cottle nasal osteotome curved is

The Cottle nasal osteotome curved is used in rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction to cut the nasal bones. The curve is not a style choice. It exists so the blade can follow the line where the nasal bone meets the maxilla, which is the line a lateral osteotomy has to travel along, and a straight blade cannot follow a curve without either leaving the bone or cutting through more of it than intended.

It is an osteotome rather than a chisel, and the difference is in the grind. A chisel is beveled on one face, so it shaves a surface and can be laid flat against tissue that is staying. An osteotome is beveled on both faces, so the edge sits in the middle of the blade and splits straight into bone along a line. That is why the same surgeon will carry both and reach for this one when a bone has to be divided rather than shaped.

The shaft is graduated, so depth is read rather than guessed. Surgeons search for this instrument as a curved osteotome and as an osteotome curved, both of which Keyword Planner prices at 100 to 1k a month worldwide, and the curve is the reason both of those phrases lead here rather than to the straight patterns.

Key design features of the curved nasal osteotome

The curve, and the cut it is for

A lateral osteotomy releases the nasal bone from the face along the junction with the maxilla so the sidewall can be moved. That junction is a curve. Set a straight blade on it and the surgeon has to make a series of short cuts and join them; set a curved blade on it and the blade tracks the bone. The finish of a lateral osteotomy is what a patient sees in profile a year later, so the tool that makes it matters.

A double beveled edge, which is what an osteotome is

Both faces are ground back to a central edge. The cut therefore starts in the middle of the blade thickness and travels forward as a split rather than as a shaving. It also means the instrument has no flat guard face, so the lining is protected by lifting it clear first rather than by the geometry of the blade.

A graduated shaft

Marks along the shaft let the surgeon read how far the blade has travelled. Inside a nasal cavity the blade disappears from view almost immediately, and the only way to know how deep it is without the marks is to judge it by hand. The graduations turn that judgement into a reading.

A flat handle end, and one piece throughout

The far end of the handle is flat so a mallet lands square, and there is no joint, screw or moving part anywhere on the instrument. Nothing can work loose and there is no hinge for tissue or cleaning solution to sit in.

What is supplied, and what is not claimed

This instrument is supplied as one curved pattern. The table also sets out plainly what is NOT recorded in our own product data, because a figure we cannot verify from our own records does not belong on a product page.

Blade width and the exact graduation intervals are not on file for this item, so they are not stated here. Suppliers commonly describe this pattern as a 6mm blade graduated at 4, 5, 6 and 7 centimeters; our own records do not confirm those figures for the instrument we grind, so this page does not print them. Ask us before ordering and we will measure one.

Where the Cottle nasal osteotome curved is used

Every row is a procedure this instrument is bought for, and every row says nasal. The word osteotome is shared with dental implantology, where a sinus lift osteotome is an entirely different tool, and that is worth stating rather than leaving to chance.

In all of these the periosteum is lifted or the approach is made first, and the osteotome is then driven by short controlled mallet taps rather than pushed by hand.

What it cuts, and what it has to leave alone

An osteotome for the lateral wall is judged on what it leaves behind as much as on the cut. A comminuted sidewall or a torn lining shows later, and neither can be undone.

That fourth row is the reason the graduations matter. Past a certain depth the blade is near the medial canthus and the cribriform region, and depth that is read is safer than depth that is felt.

How it compares with the rest of the nasal osteotome family

Five nasal osteotomes sit beside each other in this range and they are told apart by WHERE ON THE NOSE they work, not by size. Two work the bridge, three work the sidewall and the septum.

So the split is simple. If the cut follows the curve of the sidewall, this is the instrument. If it is a straight release on the lateral wall in one of nine widths, that is the 18cm Cottle. If the bridge is coming down, it is the Rubin or the Rozner.

Cottle nasal osteotome curved materials and finish

The osteotome is ground from high quality medical grade stainless steel, hardened through the blade so a double bevel keeps its angle through resharpening, and left a little softer along the shaft so a tap that lands off square 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 reflects light back up the nostril at the surgeon; satin scatters it. Satin also shows bone dust and dried blood plainly, and on a graduated shaft it keeps the marks readable instead of lost in glare.

Caring for a Cottle nasal osteotome curved

Rinse the blade and the graduated shaft under cool running water as soon as the case is finished. Bone dust settles into the etched marks and dries there, and once the graduations 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 and clear of other instruments. A double beveled edge has two faces to damage instead of one, and it damages against other blades in a tray far more often than against bone.

Ordering a Cottle nasal osteotome curved, and wholesale

The Cottle nasal osteotome curved is supplied as a single instrument, item code AM-04.25, curved pattern with a graduated shaft. It is ground and finished in our own workshop, so it can be ordered to match the handle pattern and finish of the rest of the 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-04.25. 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 nasal osteotome curved used for

It cuts the nasal bones in rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction, and the curve is ground for the lateral osteotomy in particular, where the cut has to follow the junction between the nasal bone and the maxilla.

What is a lateral osteotomy

It is the cut that releases the nasal bone from the face along its junction with the maxilla, so the sidewall of the nose can be moved inward or repositioned. It is one of the standard cuts in a rhinoplasty and it runs along a curve, which is why a curved osteotome exists.

What is the purpose of an osteotome

To divide bone along a line. It is beveled on both faces so the edge sits centrally and splits into the bone rather than shaving its surface, and it is driven by a mallet rather than by hand pressure.

What is the difference between a chisel and an osteotome

The bevel. A chisel is normally ground on one face only, so it has a flat side that can be laid against tissue and it shaves a surface. An osteotome is ground on both faces, so it splits straight into bone. In nasal surgery the chisel tends to work the septum and the osteotome the nasal bones.

Why are there depth markings on the shaft

Because the blade is out of sight within a centimeter of entering the nostril. The marks let the surgeon read how far it has advanced rather than judge it, which matters as the blade approaches the upper end of the osteotomy.

Related products and categories

• Cottle nasal osteotome 18cm
• Cottle chisel fishtail
• Rubin nasal osteotome

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