Dilating neuro-monitoring probe

A method of using a neuro-monitoring dilating probe, the method comprising:

• inserting and advancing the neuro-monitoring dilating probe through a patient's tissues to map neural structures while providing electrical stimulus to a distal tip of the neuro-monitoring dilating probe;
• as the neuro-monitoring dilating probe is advanced, rolling the patient's tissues out of a path of the advancement with a tapered portion of a distal end of the neuro-monitoring dilating probe to allow for penetration into a disc annulus without an annulotomy;
• and
• advancing the neuro-monitoring dilating probe until the tapered portion resides fully in the disc annulus.

A method of advancing a probe through subject tissue toward a spinal disc of a subject, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a neuro-monitoring dilating probe that extends lengthwise between a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein the neuro-monitoring dilating probe comprises an elongated shaft portion and a tapered section portion, wherein the elongated shaft portion extends lengthwise between proximal end and the tapered section portion, and the tapered section portion extends lengthwise from the distal end to the elongated shaft portion, wherein the tapered section portion transitions from the elongated shaft portion to an electrically conductive exposed tip disposed at the distal end;
• (b) advancing the neuro-monitoring dilating probe into a tissue bed of the subject along a present trajectory toward a spinal disc of the subject;
• (c) during the probe advancement along the present trajectory, applying an electrical stimulus to the electrically conductive exposed tip;
• and
• (d) during the probe advancement along the present trajectory, monitoring the subject for a neural response to the applied electrical stimulus, wherein the monitoring will either indicate a detected neural response or indicate no detected neural response, wherein:
• in response to the no detected neural response, continue the step of advancing the neuro-monitoring dilating probe into the tissue bed of the subject along the present trajectory toward the spinal disc of the subject;
• and
• in response to the detected neural response, retracting the neuro-monitoring dilating probe a distance and subsequently advancing the neuro-monitoring dilating probe along an altered trajectory toward the spinal disc, wherein the altered trajectory is different from the present trajectory.