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US 9,808,232 B2Granted
Dilation system
AssigneeDePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
InventorsStephen Heiman, Dustin Harvey, Corbett W. Stone, Kabir Gambhir, Timothy Anderson, Benjamin Arnold, Robert Bishop, Paul S. Maguire
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dilation system for accessing a surgical target site to perform surgical procedures. In one version, the dilation system includes a plurality of open sided dilators having non-circular cross sections and configured to slidably and non-rotationally engage with one another in a sequential manner. In another version, the dilation system includes an expandable dilator movable from a closed condition to an expanded condition.
Claims11
A dilation system, comprising:
- a first dilator having an outer surface, a proximal end, a tapered distal end, and a bore extending from the proximal end to the tapered distal end, the first dilator having a first guide and a second guide formed on the proximal end thereof, the bore sized to receive a stimulating probe;
- a second dilator having a proximal end, a tapered distal end, an intermediate section positioned between the proximal end of the second dilator and the tapered distal end of the second dilator, and a generally C-shaped transverse cross section with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface of the second dilator at the tapered distal end of the second dilator being sized and configured to be matingly received over the outer surface of the first dilator at the tapered distal end of the first dilator, the inner surface of the second dilator being configured along at least a portion of the intermediate section of the second dilator to be laterally inserted into engagement with the first guide of the first dilator, and the inner surface of the second dilator being configured along the proximal end of the second dilator to engage with the first guide of the first dilator in a way that the second dilator is slidably retained on the first dilator as the second dilator is slid along the first dilator from the proximal end of the first dilator toward the distal end of the first dilator;
- and
- a third dilator having a proximal end, a tapered distal end, an intermediate section positioned between the proximal end of the third dilator and the tapered distal end of the third dilator, and generally C-shaped transverse cross section with an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface of the third dilator at the tapered distal end of the third dilator being sized and configured to be matingly received over the outer surface of the first dilator at the tapered distal end of the first dilator, the inner surface of the third dilator being configured along at least a portion of the intermediate section of the third dilator to be laterally inserted into engagement with the second guide of the first dilator, and the inner surface of the third dilator being configured along the proximal end of the third dilator to engage with the second guide of the first dilator in a way that the third dilator is slidably retained on the first dilator as the third dilator is slid along the first dilator from the proximal end of the first dilator toward the distal end of the first dilator.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.