Patent ID: 7666186

Claim:
A blade assembly for removing tissue, said blade assembly comprises: an elongated blade body having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the blade body having elongate proximal, medial and distal portions; at least the medial portion of the blade body being substantially flat and having a width axis transverse to a length of the blade body, the medial portion of the blade body being flexible about the width axis; an elongate blade guide comprising a first bearing surface and a second bearing surface, the first bearing surface being adjacent the first blade body surface and the second bearing surface being adjacent the second blade body surface, the blade body and blade guide configured so that the blade can reciprocate along its length between the first and second bearing surfaces of the blade guide, the blade guide having proximal, medial and distal portions, an arcuate bend being disposed in the blade guide medial portion so that a longitudinal axis of the blade guide proximal portion is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade guide distal portion; the blade body flexing in the blade body medial portion so as to conform to the bend in the blade guide medial portion; and the blade body distal portion having a plurality of raised cutting elements extending from said first surface, each of said cutting elements defining a cutting edge for removing tissue, said cutting edge being elongate and substantially parallel to at least one of said first surface and second surface.