Apparatus and methods relating to a medical retrieval device that may include or be used with a catheter. A basket is included with an opening that is oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction in which the catheter extends. The basket may be extended and/or retracted relative to the catheter, and/or may be expanded and/or contracted to, for example, facilitate ensnaring and extraction of a foreign body, object, or polyp, etc. from a patient's esophagus, biliary tree, GI tract, urinary tract, abdominal cavity, kidney, bile duct, urethra, etc.