Anterior cervical plate holder/drill guide and method of use

A system for accurately drilling fixation holes into vertebrae to be instrumented with a spinal plate, comprising:

• a spinal plate having a lower surface adapted to engage a vertebra and an opposite upper surface and including;
• a number of screw bores defined through said plate between said lower and upper surfaces and adapted to receive spinal screws therethrough;
• and
• a fixation bore defined through said plate adjacent said number of bores;
• a drill guide including;
• a guide body having a lower surface configured for juxtaposition with said upper surface of said spinal plate and defining a guide bore and a positioning screw bore therethrough, wherein said guide bore is arranged to align with one of said number of screw bores and said positioning screw bore is arranged to align with said fixation bore when said guide body is juxtaposed with said spinal plate;
• a positioning screw adapted to be received between said spinal plate and said guide body within said fixation bore and said positioning screw bore;
• said positioning screw bore having means for rigidly engaging one end of said positioning screw to said guide body;
• and
• said fixation bore having means for rigidly engaging an opposite end of said positioning screw to said spinal plate.

A system for accurately drilling fixation holes into vertebrae to be instrumented with a spinal plate, comprising:

• a spinal plate having a lower surface adapted to engage a vertebra and an opposite upper surface, the plate including:
• a first end and a second end;
• and
• a number of screw bores defined through said plate between said lower and upper surfaces and adapted to receive spinal screws therethrough;
• a holder-drill guide, including;
• a first arm and a second arm, said first arm attached to said second arm, each said arm having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a first foot attached to the proximal end of said first arm and a second foot attached to the proximal end of said second arm, each said foot defining a number of thru-holes sized to receive a drilling tool, each said hole being disposed in alignment with a screw bore in the spinal plate when the tool is engaged to a spinal plate;
• a hook attached to each said foot, said hook defining a surface for engaging an edge of the spinal plate;
• and
• a locking mechanism configured to lock said feet in a position relative to each other to engage the spinal plate between said hook of each said foot with said thru-holes aligned with the plate screw bores.

A holder drill guide tool for accurately drilling fixation holes into vertebrae to be instrumented with a spinal plate having screw bores, the tool comprising:

• a pair of feet each having:
• a number of thru-holes, each said hole disposed in alignment with a screw bore in a spinal plate when the tool is engaged to the spinal plate;
• a hook attached to each said foot, each said hook defining a surface for engaging an edge of the spinal plate;
• and
• a locking mechanism configured to lock said feet in a position relative to each other to engage the spinal plate between said hook of each said foot with said thru-holes aligned with the plate screw bores.

A method for accurately drilling fixation holes into vertebrae and instrumenting the vertebrae with a spinal plate, comprising:

• mounting a spinal plate against a surface of a vertebral body, said plate having a number of screw bores therethrough;
• attaching a holder-drill guide tool to said spinal plate, the tool having a number of thru-holes therethrough, each of said thru-holes aligned with one of said plate screw bores;
• placing a drill-tap sleeve in one of said thru-holes in said tool;
• drilling the vertebra through said sleeve and screw bore;
• removing said sleeve and guide from said plate;
• and
• seating a bone screw through said screw bore in said plate.