Veterinary orthopedic depth gauges decide screw length, and screw length is wrong in two directions: too short and fixation is weak, too long and the tip sits proud of the far cortex against nerve or vessel. Peak Surgicals stocks three patterns: Depth Gauge 100mm (PS-VS-00771, $16.50), Depth Gauge TTA 160mm to 40mm (PS-VS-00770, $22.00) and Depth Gauge ($19.80), in German stainless steel, CE marked and built under ISO 13485. Compare all three in the grid below.
How a Depth Gauge Reads Bone You Cannot See
The gauge measures what the surgeon cannot see, because only one surface of the bone is exposed. A hooked probe is passed through the drilled hole until the hook catches the far cortex, a sliding sleeve is brought down to the near cortex, and the scale is read off directly, usually in one millimetre increments. That reading is the working length of bone the screw has to cross.
What is added to it depends on the bone. In normal cortical bone, the screw tip should sit about one millimetre past the far cortex; in osteoporotic bone, at least two. Getting it right on the first reading matters, because backing a screw out and replacing it widens the canal and reduces the grip the replacement can develop. For a unicortical screw, the same gauge is used the other way, hooking the near cortex to read minimum length. We supply every pattern at MOQ 1.
Choosing on Reach and Range
Range and reach separate the three patterns here. Depth Gauge 100mm (PS-VS-00771, $16.50) is the short-reach instrument for small-animal cortical work, where the measurement is taken close to the surface and a longer body only gets in the way. Depth Gauge TTA 160mm to 40mm (PS-VS-00770, $22.00) is built for tibial tuberosity advancement, where the approach is deeper and the reading is taken across a defined advancement range rather than a plain cortex-to-cortex span. Depth Gauge ($19.80) sits between the two as the general orthopedic pattern.
Choose on depth of field first and range second. A gauge whose body is too short forces the hand into the wound to read the scale; one whose range does not cover the construct has to be swapped mid-procedure, which is where most measurement errors get introduced.
Material, Reprocessing and Certification
Every pattern is manufactured from German stainless steel and passivated for corrosion resistance across repeated cycles. The inspection point is the probe, and this is the one instrument in an orthopedic set where a fault stays invisible in use: sight down the probe against a straight edge before every case, because repeated autoclaving weakens a slender shaft and even a slight bend shifts the reading without the operator knowing. Check the hook for rounding too, since a worn hook slips off the cortex instead of catching it. Clean immediately with a neutral-pH enzymatic solution, working bone debris out from under the sleeve, then rinse with deionised water and dry fully before autoclaving at 134°C.
These are Class I reusable devices, CE-marked and built to ISO 13485, with a 1-year manufacturing warranty. We ship at MOQ 1 with free shipping over $99, and OEM production is available for distributors. Browse the full Veterinary Surgical Instruments range. Talk to us about OEM terms.
