The series of elevator/dissectors, featured in a Talking Back newsletter, turned out to be quite popular for lumbar and thoracic procedures. These dissectors help reduce the chance of dura tears when attempting to separate clinging tissue from the lamina. While their 6 mm wide blades are quite effective for the originally intended purposes, they are sometimes too large for cervical applications.

At the request of several surgeons, and with particular thanks to Dr. Edward Engle of Northwest Covenant Medical Center in Dover, New Jersey, Buxton has expanded its offering to include the 3 mm wide variant pictured above. It is 200 mm long and double ended, with one blade veering 45° off the central axis of the handle while the other bends down more sharply at 90º.

Talking Back, Vol. 2, No. 3.