Nathanson liver retractor
A rigid laparoscopic retractor with an atraumatic curved (hook- or spoon-shaped) blade at the distal end and a hexagonal proximal end that locks into a table-mounted holding arm.
How it is used
Used to elevate and hold back the left hepatic lobe during laparoscopic upper gastrointestinal surgery (such as gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy or Nissen fundoplication), since it is held by a fixed table-mounted arm rather than an assistant's hand.
Clinical tip
Sustained compression of the liver can cause transient postoperative liver dysfunction (elevated liver enzymes), so periodically releasing pressure during long procedures is advisable.
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 2026-10-02.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.