Rubin Nasal Osteotome | 8mm to 16mm Tip Widths

What the Rubin nasal osteotome is

The Rubin nasal osteotome works on the nasal dorsum, which is the bridge of the nose. It is the instrument reached for when a hump is being lowered or the bridge is being reshaped in rhinoplasty, rather than when the sidewalls are being released, and that is what separates it from the Cottle patterns that sit next to it on a tray.

Its defining feature is a stabilizer on the shaft. A dorsal cut is made with a mallet, and any rotation of the blade between taps turns into a step or a ridge along the bridge that will be visible in profile for the rest of the patient’s life. The stabilizer resists that twist and holds the blade in strict linear alignment, which is a narrower requirement than anywhere else on the nose and the reason a dedicated pattern exists.

The edge carries rounded corners rather than sharp ones, so the blade is less likely to catch and tear the lining or the soft tissue over the bridge. Adas Instruments makes it in five tip widths, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm and 16mm. Surgeons search for it as a rubin osteotome, which Keyword Planner prices at ten times the demand of the full name.

Key design features of the dorsal nasal osteotome

The shaft stabilizer, and why the dorsum needs one

On the lateral wall a small rotation is absorbed by the surrounding bone. On the dorsum there is nothing to absorb it: the cut is the top edge of the nose and it is the line a patient looks at in a mirror. The stabilizer keeps the blade from turning under the mallet so the cut stays linear from the first tap to the last.

Five tip widths, 8mm to 16mm

The width is matched to how much of the bridge is coming down. 8mm takes a narrow strip off a small hump; 16mm takes the full width of a broad dorsum in one pass. All five are ground on the same shaft and handle so the balance does not change when they are swapped.

An atraumatic edge with rounded corners

The corners of a bladed instrument are what catch. Rounding them means the blade can be advanced along the bridge without the leading corner picking up the periosteum or the lining beside the cut, which is where the word atraumatic comes from on this pattern.

A flat handle end, one piece throughout

The far end is flat so a mallet lands square and the full tap goes into the blade. There is no joint, screw or moving part on the instrument, so nothing works loose over several hundred mallet strikes a year and there is no hinge for tissue to sit in.

Rubin nasal osteotome tip widths, 8mm to 16mm

Five widths, ordered per instrument rather than supplied as a set. These are our own product options.

If one width is being bought, the 12mm covers the commonest dorsal reduction. Practices doing a lot of profile work usually carry 8mm and 12mm as a pair, with the 16mm added for broad bridges.

Where the Rubin nasal osteotome is used

Every row is nasal, and every row is about the bridge. The word osteotome is also used in dental implantology for a sinus lift instrument, which is a different tool, and this page says so plainly rather than leaving it to the reader.

In all of these the dorsum is exposed and the periosteum lifted first, and the osteotome is then advanced by short mallet taps with the blade held in line by the stabilizer.

What it cuts, and what it has to leave alone

A dorsal osteotome is judged on the line it leaves. Bone can be rasped smooth afterwards, but a step cut into the bridge and a torn lining over it are both harder to put right than to avoid.

The third row is the one the stabilizer exists for. A blade that rotates leaves a ridge, and a ridge on the dorsum is what a revision rhinoplasty gets booked for.

How it compares with the rest of the nasal osteotome family

Five nasal osteotomes sit beside each other here, and the honest way to tell them apart is WHERE ON THE NOSE they work. Two are for the bridge and three are for the sidewall and the base.

Between the two dorsal instruments: this one is the wide bedded blade with a stabilizer, and the Rozner is the slim tapered blade for a narrow controlled cut through a small opening. A practice doing profile work regularly tends to carry both.

Rubin nasal osteotome materials and finish

The osteotome is ground from high quality medical grade stainless steel, hardened through the blade so the edge and its rounded corners hold their shape through resharpening, 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 reflects light back at the surgeon, and satin scatters it. Satin also shows bone dust plainly, which matters when the instrument is checked between passes.

Caring for a Rubin nasal osteotome

Rinse the blade under cool running water as soon as the case is finished. Dorsal bone is dense and the dust it makes is fine, and it settles around the stabilizer where it is slower to clean once dry.

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 blades. The rounded corners are the part that makes this pattern atraumatic and they are also the first part to be nicked by contact in a tray.

Ordering a Rubin nasal osteotome, and wholesale

The Rubin nasal osteotome is supplied as a single instrument, item code AM-60.10, in 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm or 16mm. Say which widths you want. Sets are made to order in matching finish with the rest of the nasal osteotomes.

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. Send the widths, the quantity and the marking text and we will quote it together.

Item code AM-60.10. 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 Rubin nasal osteotome used for

It cuts and reshapes bone on the nasal dorsum, the bridge of the nose, in rhinoplasty. It is the pattern used when a hump is being lowered, as distinct from the Cottle osteotomes which release the sidewalls.

What is the purpose of an osteotome

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

What tip widths does the Rubin nasal osteotome come in

Five: 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 mm. The width is matched to how much of the bridge is being taken down, and all five are ground on the same shaft and handle.

Why does the shaft have a stabilizer

To stop the blade twisting when the mallet lands. A dorsal cut that rotates a few degrees leaves a step along the bridge, and the bridge is the part of the nose a patient sees in profile, so linear alignment matters more here than anywhere else.

What is the difference between a Rubin and a Cottle osteotome

Where they work. The Rubin is a dorsal instrument for the bridge of the nose and it carries a stabilizer against rotation. The Cottle patterns are for the lateral wall and the base, releasing the sidewall so the nose can be narrowed. Most rhinoplasty trays carry both.

Related products and categories

• Rozner nasal osteotome
• Cottle nasal osteotome curved
• Cottle nasal osteotome 18cm

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