Spinal cable system

A surgical cable and passer system comprising a cable assembly comprising:

• a flexible main cable having a first end and a second end, a thinner and more flexible lead cable attached to one end of said main cable, said lead cable having a free end, a bead affixed on said lead cable proximate its free end, a fastener preattached to the end of said main cable opposite said lead cable, and a passer having an elongate probe having a thickness less than about three times the diameter of said main cable, said passer probe having a free end and a recess in said probe proximate its distal end, a slot within said passer extending from said recess to the free end of the probe, said passer probe being insertable under a bone without the cable, said recess receiving said bead on said lead cable, a portion of said lead cable proximate said bead being received within said slot such that at least a portion of said lead cable extends endwise from the probe, such that upon a surgeon withdrawing the passer probe from under the bone said lead cable and said main cable are pulled behind the probe thereby to pass the lead cable and the main cable beneath the bone, said fastener having a bore therethrough for receiving the free end of said lead cable with said bead thereon and at least a portion of said main cable, said fastener being deformable so as to permanently secure said main cable within said bore thereby to band the main cable about the bone.

A surgical cable system including a surgical cable and a passer for passing the cable around a bone to which the cable is to be secured:

• the cable including a main cable having a first end and a second end;
• a fastener at one end of the main cable;
• a lead cable at a second end of the main cable, and an enlargement at a free end of the lead cable;
• and
• said passer including curved probe having a free end, said probe having a recess therein proximate its free end and a slot extending from the recess to the free end of the probe, said recess being sized to accept the enlargement of the lead cable and the slot being sized to receive a portion of the lead cable proximate said enlargement.

A method of passing a surgical cable about bone for securely banding said cable about the bone while maintaining a desired level of tension in the cable banded about said bone, said cable having an enlargement affixed to one end thereof and a fastener preattached to the other end of said cable opposite said lead cable, said fastener having a bore for receiving said enlargement and a portion of said cable, said passer having an elongate probe, said probe having a tip and a recess adjacent said tip for receiving said enlargement on said lead cable, said probe having a partial slot therein leading from said recess to the end of said passer probe, said slot receiving at least a portion of said cable proximate said enlargement when the latter is received within said recess such that at least a portion of said cable is generally in line with the end of said probe, said method comprising the steps of:

• inserting the probe of said passer behind the bone without the cable assembly attached to the probe such that the end of the probe is accessible on the other side of the bone to be banded;
• inserting said enlargement into said recess with a portion of said cable proximate said enlargement being received within said slot;
• withdrawing said passer probe from behind said bone such that said cable is pulled behind said passer probe such that said cable is substantially in line with said passer probe as the latter is withdrawn from behind the bone so that at least a portion of said cable is disposed behind said bone;
• disconnecting said cable from said passer probe by removing said enlargement from said recess;
• inserting said cable into a bore within said preattached fastener and pulling said cable through said fastener;
• applying a desired level of tension to said cable;
• and
• while maintaining said desired level of tension on said cable as the latter is banded about said bone, effecting the locking of said fastener to said cable thereby to maintain said main cable banded about said bone with said desired level of tension.