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Deschamps Ligature Carrier

The Deschamps ligature carrier is a classic curved ligature-passing needle — named for French surgeon Joseph-François-Louis Deschamps — that predates modern suture-capturing devices by more than a century. A curved metal shaft with an eye at the tip carries suture through deep ligaments, pedicles, or vascular structures in a single transit.

Design​

  • Right- and left-curved variants — allow either-side approach depending on working angle
  • Threaded eye at the tip
  • Metal construction
  • Multiple sizes — smaller for vaginal / pelvic work, larger for general surgery pedicle ligation

Key Uses in Urogynecology​

  • Sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF) — historical alternative to the Miya hook
  • Deep pedicle ligation in complex pelvic dissection
  • Uterosacral ligament suspension via the Deschamps technique
  • Pedicle encirclement during hysterectomy or complex pelvic reconstruction when a right-angle clamp is too bulky

Technique​

  • Suture threaded through the tip eye
  • Carrier advanced around the target structure with the curve matching the surrounding anatomy
  • Suture disengaged from the eye on the far side
  • Carrier withdrawn, leaving the suture around the target

Contemporary Role​

Largely replaced by the Capio family of automated suture-capturing devices for SSLF. Deschamps carriers persist in:

  • Low-resource settings without automated-device access
  • General surgery for deep pedicle ligation
  • Historical technique teaching

Safety Considerations​

Like the Miya hook, the Deschamps carrier does not stay fully within the sacrospinous ligament during the pass and has been shown to impinge on and deflect posterior vessels during SSLF — contributing to the bleeding-risk profile historically associated with traditional devices.

See also: Capio Suture Capturing Device, Miya Hook.