Back to results
US 2011/0034779 A1Published application
Method for performing minimally invasive surgury
AssigneeThomas Stuart Loftus
InventorsThomas Stuart Louftus, James Scott Hay, Ryan Singh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Pedicle screw apparatuses each including a pedicle screw assembly and an attached pedicle screw extender are placed in a true percutaneous manner, thereby overcoming issues resulting from placing pedicle screw assemblies through a retractor. Thus, a retractor can advantageously be built off of the pedicle screw apparatuses, thereby allowing visualization of the spine anatomy directly. Furthermore, such a method for performing surgery ensures ideal placement of the retractor for additional procedures that are often required such as, for example, decompression, interbody device placement, etc.
Claims20
A method for performing surgery, comprising:
- providing a pedicle screw apparatus including a pedicle screw assembly having a first end portion of a pedicle screw extender attached thereto in a manner providing for simultaneous transfer of rotational torque applied thereto to a screw portion of the pedicle screw assembly and for maintaining a longitudinal axis of a fixation rod receiving body of the pedicle screw assembly in substantially coincidental alignment with a longitudinal axis of the screw portion;
- anchoring the pedicle screw assembly to a bony structure of a patient, wherein said anchoring includes using the pedicle screw extender to apply rotational torque to the screw portion of the pedicle screw assembly;
- engaging a blade body with the pedicle screw extender in a manner allowing the blade body to be moved along the pedicle screw extender from a second end portion thereof toward the first end portion thereof after the pedicle screw assembly is anchored within the bony structure and while the pedicle screw extender is engaged with the pedicle screw assembly;
- moving the blade body from adjacent the second end portion of the pedicle screw extender toward the first end portion thereof for positioning a first end portion of the blade body within tissue of the patient;
- and
- engaging a retractor attachment structure at the second end portion of the blade body with a blade body mounting structure of a retractor after performing said moving.
3 more elements
A method for performing minimally invasive surgery, comprising:
- engaging a first end portion of a pedicle screw extender with a fixation rod receiving body of a pedicle screw assembly, wherein the pedicle screw extender is engaged in a manner allowing simultaneous transfer of rotational torque applied thereto to a screw portion of the pedicle screw assembly and maintaining a longitudinal axis of the fixation rod receiving body in substantially coincidental alignment with a longitudinal axis of the screw portion;
- anchoring the pedicle screw assembly to a bony structure of a patient through a minimally invasive access opening in tissue at a surgery site, wherein said anchoring includes using the pedicle screw extender to apply rotational torque to the screw portion of the pedicle screw assembly;
- engaging a blade body with the pedicle screw extender at an exposed position above said tissue after the pedicle screw assembly is anchored within the bony structure and while the pedicle screw extender is engaged with the pedicle screw assembly;
- sliding the blade body from a second end portion of the pedicle screw extender toward the first end portion of the pedicle screw extender for positioning a first end portion of the blade body within the minimally invasive access opening in said tissue;
- disengaging the pedicle screw extender from the pedicle screw assembly;
- withdrawing the pedicle screw extender from within the minimally invasive access opening in said tissue after disengaging the pedicle screw assembly therefrom, wherein said withdrawing include disengaging the pedicle screw extender from the blade body while the first end portion of the blade body remains within the minimally invasive access opening;
- and
- engaging a retractor attachment structure at the second end portion of the blade body with a blade body mounting structure of a retractor after performing said withdrawing.
5 more elements
A method for performing surgery, comprising:
- anchoring a first pedicle screw apparatus to a first bony structure of a patient and a second pedicle screw apparatus to a second bony structure of the patient, wherein each one of said pedicle screw assemblies includes a pedicle screw assembly having a first end portion of a pedicle screw extender attached thereto in a manner providing for simultaneous transfer of rotational torque applied thereto to a screw portion of the pedicle screw assembly and for maintaining a longitudinal axis of a fixation rod receiving body of the pedicle screw assembly in substantially coincidental alignment with a longitudinal axis of the screw portion;
- engaging a first blade body with the pedicle screw extender of the first pedicle screw assembly and a second blade body with the pedicle screw extender of the second pedicle screw assembly after performing said anchoring and while each one of the pedicle screw extends is engaged with the respective one of said pedicle screw assemblies;
- displacing each one of said blade bodies from a second end portion of the respective pedicle screw extender toward the first end portion thereof for positioning a first end portion of each one of said blade bodies within tissue of the patient adjacent the respective one of said bony structures;
- disengaging each one of said pedicle screw extenders from the respective one of said pedicle screw assemblies;
- and
- engaging a retractor with both of said blade bodies after performing said displacing.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.