Langenbeck vs Farabeuf Retractor — Which Handheld Retractor to Use?

Langenbeck vs Farabeuf Retractor — Which Handheld Retractor for Your Procedure?

Langenbeck and Farabeuf are the two most common handheld retractors in general surgery. Both are used to hold tissue aside and expose the operative field — but they differ in shape, depth of retraction, and ideal application.

Langenbeck Retractor

The Langenbeck retractor (named after Bernhard von Langenbeck) has an L-shaped or right-angle blade. Specifications:

• Design: Flat handle with a right-angle blade — the blade projects perpendicular to the handle
• Blade sizes: Multiple widths (25mm, 35mm, 45mm) and depths (16mm, 20mm, 25mm)
• Use: Deep abdominal, thoracic, and orthopedic wound retraction. The perpendicular blade allows it to hook under tissue and hold deep wound edges open.

Best for: Deep retraction in abdominal surgery (holding back bowel or liver), orthopedic exposures, and general surgery where the blade needs to reach into a wound cavity.

Farabeuf Retractor

The Farabeuf retractor (named after Louis-Hubert Farabeuf) is a double-ended, S-shaped or L-shaped handheld retractor. Specifications:

• Design: Two functional ends — one with a narrow blade, one with a wider blade. Both ends can retract tissue.
• Size: Typically 20×12 mm (small end) and 27×12 mm (large end)
• Use: Superficial wound edge retraction, skin retraction, and holding tissue in shallow wounds

Best for: Superficial surgery, skin incision exposure, subcutaneous dissection, and wounds where you need a lightweight, versatile retractor that doesn’t need to reach deep into a cavity.

Comparison Table

Fizza Surgical — Retractor Sets

Fizza Surgical manufactures Langenbeck retractors in all standard blade sizes and Farabeuf retractors for superficial wound retraction. Both available individually or in complete general surgery retractor sets. 316L stainless steel, ISO 13485 certified, CE marked.