Ballenger swivel knife
A long, thin-handled instrument with a small blade mounted on a pivoting joint at the tip, allowing the cutting angle to be adjusted without repositioning the whole instrument.
How it is used
Classically used in submucous resection (SMR) of the nasal septum to cut and mobilize deviated cartilage and bone within the already-elevated subperichondrial tunnel, adapting the cutting angle to the septal contour via the swiveling blade.
Clinical tip
Named after William Sampson Ballenger; classic SMR has largely been replaced by Cottle's more conservative septoplasty technique, but the instrument is still manufactured and occasionally used.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
History
Added to the catalog on 2026-10-25.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.