Systems and methods for prone lateral spine surgery

An internal fixation system for prone lateral spine surgery on a patient, comprising:

• a posterior compressor/distractor including a rack assembly and a carriage assembly movable relative to one another;
• a first swivel tube subassembly coupled to the rack assembly and a second swivel tube subassembly coupled to the carriage assembly, each swivel tube configured to engage a cannulated implant inserted into a pedicle of the patient's spine;
• and
• a table mounting assembly configured to secure the posterior compressor/distractor to a surgical table.

A method of performing prone lateral spine surgery without a side bolster, the method comprising:

• positioning a patient in a prone position on a surgical table;
• inserting at least two cannulated implants into respective pedicles of the patient's spine;
• attaching a posterior compressor/distractor to the cannulated implants via first and second swivel tube subassemblies;
• mounting the posterior compressor/distractor to the surgical table using a table mounting assembly;
• distracting the patient's spine across a target disc space using the posterior compressor/distractor;
• and
• performing a lateral interbody fusion through a lateral approach while the posterior compressor/distractor maintains spinal stability.