Surgical extractors

Claim 1

A COMMON BILE DUCT STONE DISLODGING AN EXTRACTING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A SHAPE-RETAINING FLEXIBLE PROBE TERMINATING AT ONE END IN A TIP AND HAVING LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THAT OF THE LENGTH OF THE COMMON BILE DUCT OF AN ADULT PERSON OF AVERAGE SIZE WHEREBY, WHEN INSERTED TIP END FIRST THROUGH AN INCISED OPENING IN THE BILE DUCT AND THENCE THREADED THROUGH THE DUCT INTO THE DUODENUM THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID PROBE WILL PROJECT FROM SAID BILE DUCT AND DUODENUM, RESPECTIVELY; ELONGATE FLEXIBLE HINGEDLY JOINTED MEMBERS EXTENDING IN THEIR IN-USE POSITION IN CONTINUATION OF SAID PROBE FROM THE TIP END THEREOF; SWIVEL MEANS CONNECTING SAID MEMBERS END TO END, COMPLEMENTAL MANUALLY OPERABLE COUPLING MEANS ON THE TIP END OF THE PROBE AND ON THE ADJACENT END OF SAID ELONGATED JOINTED FLEXIBLE MEMBER, RESPECTIVELY, FOR SECURING SAID PROBE AND MEMBER TO ONE ANOTHER FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO FORCE APPLIED TO THE ENDS THEREOF OPPOSITE THEIR COUPLED ENDS; SAID FLEXIBLE HINGEDLY JOINTED ELONGATE MEMBERS EACH COMPRISING BUNDLES OF THIN STRANDS OF SPRINGY MATERIAL SECURED TOGETHER THROUGHOUT CORRESPONDING LENGTH PORTIONS THEREOF EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS AND BEING NORMALLY BOWED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY IN THEIR CORRESPONDING INTERMEDIATE LENGTH PORTIONS TO FORM A SINGLE EXPANSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE STONE-TRAPPING CAGE; THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT SAID ELONGATED FLEXIBLE MEMBER MAY BE DRAWN LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID BILE DUCT IN RETRCTING DIRECTION EXERTED ON THE PROBE AND FURTHER THAT DURING THE COURSE OF SAID MOVEMENT THE CAGE MAY BE EXPANDED OR CONTRACTED BY FORCE EXERTED SIMULTANEOUSLY ON SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE PROBE AND FLEXIBLE ELONGATE MEMBERS AND ROTATED ONE RELATIVE TO THE OTHER.