Gynecology forceps sort themselves by how many teeth meet the tissue. One sharp point is a tenaculum, several fine teeth make a vulsellum, and a ridged jaw with no penetrating point is a pedicle clamp. Peak Surgicals stocks 31 patterns across all three, in German stainless steel and CE marked and built under ISO 13485. Compare every pattern in the grid below.
Tenaculum or Vulsellum? Count the Teeth
A tenaculum grips with a single sharp hook, and the pattern has barely changed in a century and a half. Its ancestor was the battlefield bullet extractor used during the American Civil War, and the gynaecological version was developed from it by Samuel Jean Pozzi in the late nineteenth century. Pozzi Tenaculum Forceps ($16.50) carries that original design; Adair ($13.20), Barrett ($11.00), Braun ($19.80), Duplay ($22.00), Jarcho ($16.50) and Skene ($16.50) extend it across lengths and hook configurations.
A vulsellum spreads the same job across more contact points. Instead of one hook it carries paired rows of finer teeth, catalogued as 2×2, 2×3, 3×3 or 3×4, so traction is distributed rather than concentrated. Schroeder Uterine Vulsellum Forceps ($6.05), Henrotin ($16.50), Jacob (from $16.50) and Gordon ($27.50) cover that range. The trade is straightforward: fewer, sharper points hold more securely and damage more; more, finer teeth do the reverse. We supply every pattern at MOQ 1.
Why Heaney Holds a Pedicle: Ridge and Groove
Pedicle clamps work on a different principle again, and Heaney is the pattern that defines it. The jaws are curved on the flat, and one blade carries a longitudinal ridge that seats into a matching groove on the other. That ridge and groove is what occludes the vessels inside a pedicle and stops the tissue sliding sideways out of the jaw, which transverse serrations alone do not achieve.
It matters because the surgeon often cannot see what is being clamped. In vaginal hysterectomy the broad ligament frequently sits out of view and clamping is done by feel, with the operator confirming the whole pedicle is inside the jaw before the ligament is cut. Heaney Hysterectomy Forceps ($22.00), Heaney Hysterectomy Tissue Forceps ($5.83) and Heaney Kanter Hysterectomy Forceps ($16.50) cover that pattern. Curved jaws suit vaginal access; straight jaws suit abdominal work on the broad and round ligaments.
Atraumatic, Obstetric and Specimen Patterns
The atraumatic hysterectomy patterns take a middle position. Masterson Hysterectomy Forceps ($11.00), Rogers Hysterectomy Forceps ($5.28), Phaneuf Hysterectomy Forceps ($5.94), Reich Nechtow Hysterectomy Forceps ($16.50) and Powell Wertheim Hysterectomy Forceps ($22.00) carry fine paired teeth rather than a single point, giving pedicle purchase with less crush than a toothed clamp. Wertheim Cullen Pedicle Forceps ($16.50) serves the same role on a heavier pattern.
Obstetric and specimen work uses its own jaws. Green Armytage Haemostasis Forceps (from $16.50) has broad serrated blades for clamping the bleeding edges of a uterine incision at caesarean section. Foerster Sponge Forceps ($16.50) and Fletcher Van Doren Uterine Polyp Sponge Holding Forceps ($22.00) hold swabs and polyps on fenestrated jaws, and Gaylor Uterine Specimen Forceps ($27.50) retrieves tissue for histology.
Material, Reprocessing and Certification
Every pattern is forged from German stainless steel and passivated for corrosion resistance across repeated cycles. The inspection point is the jaw and the box lock, and it should be checked against the pattern rather than generically: on tenaculum patterns confirm the hook point is intact and sharp, since a blunted hook needs more force and tears rather than holds; on vulsellum patterns confirm every tooth is present and inter-meshing, because one missing tooth shifts the whole load; and on pedicle clamps hold the jaws closed to light and confirm the ridge seats fully into the groove with no daylight. Close each ratchet to the first tooth and try to force the jaws open. Clean immediately with a neutral-pH enzymatic solution, brushing into the box lock and between teeth, then rinse with deionised water and dry fully before autoclaving at 134°C.
These are Class I reusable devices, CE marked and built under ISO 13485, with a one-year warranty. We ship at MOQ 1 with free shipping over $99, and OEM production is available. See Tenaculum Forceps and Vulsellum Forceps for the dedicated ranges, or browse all Gynecology Instruments. Talk to us about OEM terms.
