A curette or curet is a surgical instrument for the scraping or debriding of biological tissue or debris in a biopsy, excision, or cleaning procedure. In form, the curette is a small hand tool, often similar in shape to a stylus; at the tip of the curette is a small scoop, hook, or gouge. The verb to curette means "to scrape with a curette", and curettage ( or ) is treatment that involves such scraping.
Uses Some examples of medical use of a curette include:
the removal of impacted ear wax; dilation and curettage of the uterus, a gynecologic procedure; excision of many benign tumors and some malignant tumors; excision of the adenoids (adenoidectomy) by an otolaryngologist; to scrape tartar deposits from tooth enamel with a periodontal curette.
See also Ear pick
References
External links
Curette images from the Waring Historical Library at the Medical University of South Carolina