Patent ID: 8357123

Claim:
A surgical portal assembly, which comprises: a portal adapted to provide access to underlying tissue and having a longitudinal opening extending along a longitudinal axis of the portal, and defining proximal and distal ends; and a seal defining a median axis and a seal passage arranged about the median axis for reception and passage of a surgical object introduced through the portal, the seal including: a gel component having a gel material, and defining opposing proximal and distal faces; and first and second fabric components attached to respective proximal and distal faces of the gel component in superposed relation therewith and substantially encapsulating the gel component; the seal defining longitudinally opposed generally planar segments disposed radially outwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis and longitudinally opposed centrally located recesses disposed inwardly of the generally planar segments and leading into the seal passage with each recess arranged to define an outwardly curved and parabolic profile extending towards each other about the median axis of the seal and being coterminous with each other to assist in insertion and withdrawal of the surgical object through the seal passage.