Spoon retractors for soft mass.

We have designed spoon retractors for removing a soft mass. The retractor is composed of a main part which is eggshell like and concave in shape, with sizes varying from 5 mm to 4 cm in width, and a flexible shaft. The retractor enables retraction to hold a soft mass upward creating an ample space for dissecting it from surrounding structures in the depth. The spoon retractor has proven to be useful for gliomas and metastatic tumours, particularly for haemorrhagic lesions such as haemangioblastomas and arteriovenous malformations, because the retractor facilitates an en bloc removal of the mass by retracting it without causing laceration or rupture, and with feeding or draining vessels easily visualised. Copyright 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.