Cottle Nasal Speculum | Thumb Screw, 35 to 90 mm Blades

What a Cottle nasal speculum is

A nasal speculum does one job: it holds the nostril open so somebody can see or work inside it. The only real question about any of them is whether it holds itself open or whether you hold it. The Cottle nasal speculum is on the self retaining side of that line. Here is the mechanism: a set screw holds the blades open at the width you set, so the hand that opened the speculum can let go and do something else, which is the whole difference between a self retaining speculum and one you hold.

Maurice Cottle spent his career on the septum and this speculum is shaped by that. The blades are thin and taper as they go in, so they take up as little of the airway as possible while still spreading it. Google’s own words for the pattern are that thin tapered blades “minimize mucosal trauma while maximizing the usable operating space”. Every speculum makes that trade and this one makes it in favor of room.

The other thing Cottle got right is the length. A short instrument keeps the hand outside the alar margin, so it is not sitting in the line of sight between the eye and the thing being cut. On a nose that is most of the battle.

It is listed as a Cottle nasal speculum and as a Cottle septum speculum, and buyers who do not know the surname search for a surgical nasal speculum or a nasal speculum instrument. All four name this page.

One honest note about the bare term. “Nasal speculum” is searched 2,400 times a month in the United States, the largest term anywhere in our catalog, and most of those searches are people finding out what the instrument is rather than buying one. This page answers the buying question.

Key design features

The thumb screw, and what it is actually for

Turn it and the blades stop moving. That sounds small until you are holding a speculum with one hand, a suction with the other, and need a third hand for an elevator. It is the single feature separating this page and the two Killians from the Hartmann and the Thudichum, and it is what to decide first.

Thin blades or regular blades

Our own attribute, both available on every length. Thin blades leave more room inside the nostril for the instrument that is doing the work, which is what you want in a septoplasty. Regular blades spread harder and hold a stubborn ala back, which is what you want when access is the problem rather than room. Surgeons who do both operations regularly own one of each.

Four blade lengths, 35 to 90 mm

Our own figures: 35, 50, 75 and 90 mm. Short for the vestibule and the front of the septum, long for the back. The 90 mm is the longest blade we make here and it is not a figure the trade publishes widely, so if a 75 keeps running out of reach, that is the one to try.

A finish that does not glare, and is not titanium

Three options on our own record: a full black coating, gold colored shafts, or plain steel. The black one kills the reflection off an operating light, which on a nose points down the same corridor you are looking down. It is a COATING on steel. We do not sell a titanium instrument and this page will not call it one.

Which blade length and which blade to order

Two kinds of choice, the length and the blade type, both from our own attribute set. The last row is a gap.

Where it is used

Surgery more than examination, which is the other half of what separates it from the Hartmann.

What it holds open, and what it must not do

A speculum that locks is a speculum that can be left too wide, which is the one risk on this page.

How it compares with the other four specula

Five specula, two axes, and this table is the whole decision.

Materials and finish

Every Cottle nasal speculum we make is cut from high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. We do not publish a grade number. A certificate says nothing about whether a thumb screw still holds at the same width after two hundred autoclave cycles, because a screw that creeps is a speculum that closes on its own halfway through an operation. The answer to that is in the making rather than in the alloy.

The screw and its thread are cut together and lapped, and that pairing is the instrument. A self retaining speculum is only self retaining while the thread grips, and a thread that has been cut loose to make assembly easy will hold on the bench and creep under load.

The blades are ground as a matched pair so they spread parallel rather than scissoring. There is no sharp external edge anywhere on the outline, and the coating option is applied after grinding so no coating sits on a working face.

Caring for it

Back the screw right off before washing, every time. A speculum put through a cycle with the screw tight holds blood in the thread and comes out stiff.

Warm water and a soft brush along both blades and into the thread. Autoclave with the tray. Set the blades open every so often and let go: it should stay where you put it. The day it drifts closed, the thread needs attention, and it is better to find that on a bench than at a nostril.

Ordering and wholesale

Every Cottle nasal speculum is made by Adas Instruments in our own workshop and sold direct, which is why the price sits where it does against the catalog houses. Order one for a single tray, or in quantity for a hospital list or a distributor line. We do OEM work under your own brand and your own item numbers. Send us a sample and we will hold a run to your pattern rather than ours. Stock items ship from our own workshop. Backorder items take 10 to 12 working days to make. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Cottle nasal speculum used for?

Holding the nostril open during septoplasty, rhinoplasty and sinus surgery, so the surgeon can see and work inside it. The thumb screw locks the blades at the width you choose, which frees the hand that opened it.

Is the Cottle nasal speculum self retaining?

Yes. The thumb screw holds the blades open at a set width. Of the five specula we make, the Cottle and both Killians hold themselves open and the Hartmann and the Thudichum do not. It is the first thing to decide and the comparison table above sets all five side by side.

What are the key differences between the Killian and Cottle nasal speculum?

Less than most people expect. Both lock with a screw and both come in our 35 to 90 mm range. The Cottle is the pattern associated with septal work and its blades taper more; the Killian is the one most tray lists name and the one usually called long bladed. If your list specifies one, buy that one.

Which blade length should I buy first?

50 mm. It is the standard adult septoplasty length and it covers most of what a nose needs. Add 75 mm if you work the back of the septum, and 35 mm if you also see children or want a vestibule blade.

What width are the blades?

We do not publish a width. Our own record carries four blade LENGTHS, the thin or regular choice and the finish, and nothing else. Rival listings quote a taper from about 10 mm to 8 mm; that is their instrument. It is on our list to measure.

Related products and categories

For the same locking mechanism under the name most tray lists use, the Killian nasal speculum. For the one you hold rather than lock, the Thudichum nasal speculum. For taking a polyp out once the nostril is open, the Hartmann nasal polypus forceps.

The rest of this family sits under nasal speculum and polypus instruments, and the wider set for the operation is under rhinoplasty instruments.