Method for locating, measuring, and evaluating the enlargement of a foramen
OwnerLaurence M. McKinleyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for locating, measuring and evaluating the enlargement of a foramen are provided. An instrument has a handle, an angled region, and a tip to be inserted into the foramen. An instrument can be pressed onto the foramen to determine its location and whether the empty space within the foramen is large enough for the maximum width of the tip to be inserted. If the tip cannot insert, the foramen can be cut to enlarge it enough for the tip to insert. A kit of several instruments or a single instrument with tips of different maximum widths are provided for determining the amount of empty space within the foramen through the course of the enlargement.
Claims12
A method for evaluating adequate enlargement of a neural foramen comprising the steps of:
- providing a first measurement instrument, having a handle, a rigid tip with a first size defined by the maximum width of the tip, and a first rigid angled region between said handle and said rigid tip;
- locating said foramen by manipulating the first measurement instrument within the region of the neural foramen;
- measuring said foramen by pressing the rigid tip of the first measurement instrument against said neural foramen to determine the size of said foramen based on whether the maximum width of the rigid tip of the first measurement instrument can be inserted into or through the neural foramen;
- cutting away at a periphery of said neural foramen if the maximum width of the tip of the first measurement instrument cannot be inserted into said neural foramen;
- and
- repeating said locating, measuring, and cutting steps until the maximum width of the tip of said first measurement instrument can be inserted into or through the neural foramen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.