Surgical extracter

Claim 1

A common bile duct stone dislodging and extracting instrument comprising in combination: (a) a flexible probe including first and second flexible retaining wires (b) a springy strand bundle having said strands of substantially the same length and running in the same general direction and said strands each having right and left ends and a center portion (c) said bundle having a relaxed expanded position and a compressed collapsed position (d) said strands at their left ends coming together and secured to said first flexible retaining wire (e) said strands at their right ends coming together and secured to said second flexible retaining wire (f) said bundle when in said relaxed expanded position having its strands at their central portion normally spaced substantially from each other to form a stone receiving basket (g) said bundle when in said compressed collapsed position having its strands at their central portion in substantially abutting relation to each other to prevent escape of a retrieved stone (h) a first freely slideable and rotatable catheter sleeve telescoped over said first retaining wire and of a diameter sufficient to receive said bundle when in said compressed collapsed position and having its diameter substantially less than said bundle when in said relaxed expanded position (i) a second freely slideable and rotatable catheter sleeve telescoped over said second retaining wire and of a diameter sufficient to receive said bundle when in said compressed collapsed position and having its diameter substantially less than said bundle when in said relaxed expanded position (j) said first and second sleeves being independently movable with respect to each other toward and away from each other from a position of abutting contact to a distance at least equal to the length of said bundle (k) said first retaining wires including remote means for positioning said first catheter sleeve adjacent said left ends of said bundle strands (l) said second retaining wire including remote means for positioning said second catheter sleeve adjacent said right ends of said bundle strands (m) whereby said bundle, when in use, may be selectively covered and uncovered at any selected area along the length of said bundle.