Modular adjustable corpectomy cage

A system for use during a surgical procedure on a patient, the system comprising:

• (a) an implant having a modular cage and a shim with a cage tool-holding feature, an upper bracket, and a lower bracket, the modular cage including four modules:
• (i) a first endplate adapted to press against anatomical structures of the patient,
• (ii) a second endplate adapted to press against opposing anatomical structures of the patient,
• (iii) a body with a top surface on which the first endplate is positioned, a track which engages the upper bracket of the shim and guides the shim into engagement with the modular cage, and a body tool-holding feature, and
• (iv) a column with a top surface on which the second endplate is positioned, a track which engages the lower bracket of the shim and guides the shim into engagement with the modular cage, a column tool-holding feature, and at least one leg over which the body slides so that the at least one leg is contained at least partially within the body, and
• (b) a tool having an expander, an expansion knob, and an inserter, wherein the expander includes a gripping member to engage the body tool-holding feature and an actuator to engage the column tool-holding feature and adapted to position the modular cage at a surgical site within the patient, the expansion knob rotating so that the gripping member slides the body along the at least one leg to separate the body from the column in situ and thereby defining the height of the implant, and the inserter positioning the shim between the body and the column,
• wherein the height of the implant can be adjusted in situ to a potentially infinite number of possible heights between a starting height where the body is fully seated on the column and an upper limit where the body exceeds the height of the at least one leg, and the shim when positioned between the body and the column fixes the distance between the body and the column.