Biopsy clamp

Claim 1

A biopsy clamp for grasping a tissue specimen to be excised, and for holding it after excision in such condition as to be substantially unstressed, and available for observation over a substantial portion of its surface area, said clamp comprising: a first and a second rigid jaw plate; a strap hinge of flexible material interconnecting said jaw plates, said hinge having a dimension of length, with its ends relative to this dimension attached to respective ones of the jaw plates, and having a substantial lateral dimension normal to the said dimension of length so as to limit the relative ''''shear'''' movement of the jaw plates when in a face-to-face position relative to one another and the hinge bent, the edges of the jaw plates adjacent to the hinge constituting the ''''hinged'''' edges of the jaw plates, and the edges farthest removed from the hinge constituting the free edges of the jaw plates, each jaw plate including a pair of spaced-apart jaw flanges extending away from the hinged edge, to form a U-shape, thereby to leave a substantial space between them, open at the free ends, for access to a specimen when held extended between the jaw plates and when held between their opposed jaw flanges; a projection rising from one of said jaw plates and extending toward the other when the jaw plates are in said face-to-face position to limit the approach of the jaw plates toward one another; at least three pins rising from one of said jaw plates, each of said pins having a tapered end, and one of the pins being longer than at least two of the others, said longer pin being spaced away from a line extending between two of said other pins, said pins and projection lying adjacent the end of the space closest to the hinged edge, and a respective aperture on the other of said jaw plates aligned with each respective pin to receive the pins when the jaw plates are brought into said face-to-face position, the pins being proportioned relative to the apertures so as to make an interference fit therein, and thereby hold the jaw plates together when the pins are pressed into the apertures; and a plurality of gripping teeth on all of said jaw flanges so disposed and arranged as to lie in parallel and opposed lines on each pair of opposite jaw flanges when the jaw plates are in said face-to-face position, and leaving between them an undulating clearance to receive and clamp onto the tissue, whereby when a sample is to be grasped, one of the jaw plates is brought against one side of it, the jaw plates being held generally aligned by said longest pin, but still free to undergo limited relative movement, and then the jaw plates are pressed together to engage all of the pins in the apertures and to force the teeth against the specimen so as to grip it.