Cottle Septum Instrument — Caudal Septum Set

Cottle Septum Instrument — Caudal Septum Set

Cottle’s catalogue of septum instruments includes specialised tools for the three anatomic zones of the septum: caudal (the L-strut and the nasal spine), middle (the cartilaginous body), and posterior (the vomer and perpendicular plate). This caudal-set piece is the instrument for working on the caudal septum where the cartilage is anchored to the anterior nasal spine and where deviation produces external nasal tip deviation.

What the caudal septum demands

Surgery on the caudal septum is constrained by the L-strut rule: at least 10 mm of dorsal and caudal cartilage must remain to support the nasal tip and dorsum. Any caudal-septum instrument must therefore work in millimetric increments — taking shavings, not slabs. The caudal-set Cottle instrument is sized to this constraint, with a working face calibrated for fine cartilage trim rather than mass cartilage harvest.

Where this finishes the operation

Most cosmetic nasal-tip deviations resolve when the caudal septum is straightened on the anterior spine; the result depends on the precision of this trim, not on the bulk of cartilage removed elsewhere.