A New Scalpel for Circular Incisions: Compass Scalpel

Abstract

A scalpel is a very sharp knife used for surgery as well as for various arts and crafts. The blade usually is flat and straight, allowing it to be run easily against a straight edge to produce straight lines. The handles of medical scalpels are flatter and do not have the same level of grip as art scalpels because this would make cleaning more difficult. There are different ways of gripping and using medical scalpels including the fingertip grip, the palm grip, and the pencil grip. We present a novel scalpel for circular incisions. It resembles a pair of compasses used to draw circles in different dimensions. The idea originated from the need to make circular incisions for nipple-areola complexes in reduction mammaplasties. As part of the reduction procedure, the areolar size and shape are reduced proportionally. To make a circular incision, a circular line is drawn initially, then incised with an classical scalpel. Basically, a pair of compasses is used to draw arcs and/or to measure a geometric construction. Joining the starting point to the end with compasses obtains a circle. Collapsible compasses can make circles in different dimensions. They generally are used in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1). The compass scalpel has a blunt tip on one end that minimazes trauma to the skin where is applied. It has an attached surgical blade on the other end. It is used with a combination of palm grip and fingertip grip. Its main advantage is that a precise rapid adjustment (e.g., adjustment of the circular diameter desired) can be done at the operation because it is collapsible. A curved scale also is perpendicularly attached to the fixed compass to give a precise measurement (Fig. 2). The accuracy of this method depends on how the assistant positions the tension on the skin. If the circle