A medical extractor comprising a cannula assembly having an annularly expanding and retracting gripping and releasing mechanism on the distal end thereof and a moving assembly on the proximal end thereof. The arrangement is such that a manual movement of the moving assembly in one direction effects a longitudinally outward movement of an annular array of longitudinally movable wire flexure elements within an annular array of longitudinally fixed tubular flexure elements to cause the fixed flexure elements to flex transversely outwardly and create an annularly expanded condition defined by an annular series of transversely outwardly flexed fixed flexure elements interconnected at their ends by an annular series of arcuately outwardly flexed portions of the movable flexure elements. A manual movement in the opposite direction effects a longitudinally inward movement of the movable flexure elements to cause the expanded condition to progressively retract during which the outwardly flexed fixed flexure elements are progressively less flexed transversely outwardly and the arcuately flexed portions of the movable flexure elements have a progressively less arcuate extent.