SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH CURVILINEAR TISSUE CONTACTING SURFACES Abstract A surgical stapling instrument (10) including a handle assembly (12), an 5 elongated body portion (14), a shell assembly (220) and an anvil assembly (200). The elongated body portion extends distally from the handle assembly and defines a longitudinal axis. The shell assembly is disposed adjacent a distal end of the elongated body portion and includes a non-planar, tissue-contacting surface oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis. The anvil assembly includes a non-planar, tissue o contacting surface oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis. The tissue contacting surface (222) of the anvil assembly is configured to align with the tissue contacting surface of the shell assembly when the anvil assembly and shell assembly are in the approximated position.
