Urology surgical instruments: names and uses

Urology uses a wide range of specialised instruments, and pattern names can be confusing for buyers who don't work with them every day. This guide groups the most common urology instruments by use, with the pattern names you will see in catalogues.

Kidney and bile duct instruments

• Randall kidney stone forceps: curved forceps for grasping and removing kidney stones.
• Heiming kidney stone forceps and Elsasser nephrostomy forceps: other patterns used in kidney surgery.
• Desjardins probe and scoop: for locating and removing stones from the ducts.
• Bakes common bile duct dilators: malleable dilators in graduated sizes.

Urethral instruments

• Dittel and Guyon urethral bougies (sounds): graduated rods used to dilate the urethra, usually sized in Charrière (French) gauge.
• Filiform guides: thin guides used with bougies in narrow strictures.

Bladder and prostate instruments

• Millin bladder neck spreader and Millin prostatectomy forceps: for open prostate surgery.
• Harris and Johnson instruments, and capsule ligature forceps: for ligature placement during prostatectomy.
• Lewkowitz lithotomy forceps: for removing bladder stones.
• Young lobe holding forceps: for holding prostate tissue.

Clamps

• Zeiss meatus clamp and Stockmann, Strauss and Thomson Walker penile clamps: used in procedures on the penis and urethral opening.

Hernia and vasectomy instruments

• Hernia directors: grooved instruments that guide incisions and protect underlying tissue.
• No-scalpel vasectomy forceps and ringed clamps: for the minimally invasive vasectomy technique, often sold as 2- or 4-piece sets.

Ordering tips

For each item, give the pattern name, length, and size or gauge (for bougies, the Charrière range you need). Catalogue references make it much easier to match exactly. Our urology catalogue lists references such as ST23-162-00 for Guyon bougies and ST23-220-26 for Lewkowitz forceps.

See our full urology instruments range.