The invention relates to tubular shaft instruments, which are provided with a handle, a tubular shaft and a tool head. The tool head usually has two mouth parts, which can be displaced in relation to one another for gripping and fixing tissue. The disadvantages of the articulations used for this purpose are that they block access to the mouth parts from the inside of the tubular shaft to the outside, that they are not sufficiently stable and can only be operated with low leverage. The invention thus discloses a slotted guide system for forming the articulation, said system having a virtual fulcrum outside the tubular shaft instrument. The invention not only eradicates the aforementioned problems but also simplifies the seizure of tissue.
