Patent ID: 7666201

Claim:
A spreading instrument comprising: first and second arms having first and second handles extending proximally therefrom; a hinge coupling the said first and second arms and permitting said arms to move relative to one another upon movement of said handles; first and second fingers extending distally from the distal ends of said first and second arms; a surface on each of said fingers which confronts and contacts the surface on the other finger when said fingers abut one another; a rounded groove in the confronting surface of each of said fingers extending along the length of the finger, each said groove having a constant radius of curvature and having a depth and arc length which decrease along its length distally; said spreading instrument being so configured that said fingers can be moved from an abutting position in which the said confronting surfaces are in contact to a spread position in which the said fingers are angled away from one another and in which the said grooves coact to partially define a cylindrical passage configured to receive a tubular structure.