Surgical instrumentation and methods of use for implanting a prosthesis

A distractor comprising:

• a handle having a first handle portion and a second handle portion adjustable from an insertion position to a distraction position;
• a datum securement attached to the first handle portion, the datum securement having a length extending through a longitudinal axis from a first end at an end of the first handle portion to a second end distal to the first handle portion, the datum securement having a top surface along its length, wherein the top surface defines a first plane, and an end surface at the second end, the end surface extending from an edge of the top surface at the second end, wherein the end surface defines a second plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the datum securement, and one or more projections extending from the end surface at an acute angle relative to the first plane of the datum securement, wherein the one or more projections extending from the end surface are releasably engagable with an aperture located in a recessed section of a datum mount of a datum;
• and
• a tissue engaging portion including a paddle attached directly to, and exclusively to, the second handle portion such that the paddle pivots about an axis transverse to a length of the handle, wherein the paddle is independently movable with respect to both the second handle portion and the first handle portion as the handle is adjusted from the insertion position to the distraction position such that the paddle remains at a generally constant angle and generally parallel to a tissue surface adjacent to the paddle.

A distractor comprising:

• a datum securement;
• a handle having a first handle portion and a second handle portion adjustable from an insertion position to a distraction position, the first handle portion having a length extending between the datum securement and a grip portion of the first handle portion such that the combined length of the first handle portion and a length of the datum securement is generally planar in the insertion position, the distraction position and positions in between the insertion position and the distraction position, wherein the datum securement attached to the first handle portion is releasably engagable with a datum;
• and
• a tissue engaging portion including a paddle attached directly to, and exclusively to, a distal tip of the second handle portion, the second handle portion having a length extending between the tissue engaging portion and a grip portion of the second handle portion and including an inflection point between the tissue engaging portion and the grip portion of the second handle portion such that the second handle portion is attachable to the first handle portion proximate the inflection point, wherein a first part of the length of the second handle portion adjacent to the tissue engaging portion extends, in the insertion position, generally parallel to the first handle portion, and a second part of the length of the second handle portion adjacent to and including the grip portion extends, in the insertion position, at an angle transverse to the first handle portion, such that the paddle pivots about an axis transverse to the length of the second handle portion, wherein the paddle is independently movable with respect to both the second handle portion and the first handle portion as the handle is adjusted from the insertion position to the distraction position such that the paddle remains at a generally constant angle and generally parallel to a tissue surface adjacent to the paddle, and wherein movement of a proximal end of the first handle portion towards a proximal end of the second handle portion from the insertion position to the distraction position causes the datum securement to move apart from the tissue engaging portion.