Patent ID: 11883064
Assignee: MEDOS INTERNATIONAL SARL
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 15:
16. A method of accessing an intervertebral disc in a patient, comprising the steps of:
a) making an incision in a skin of the patient,
b) percutaneously inserting through the incision an outer shield having a substantially tubular shape, the outer shield having a length adapted to extend from the incision to a superior articular process (SAP) in the spine of the patient,
c) stabilizing the outer shield to a pedicle anchor
d) inserting an outer shield integrated optical visualization instrument,
e) resecting a portion of the superior articular process, and/or performing a microsurgical decompression procedure,
f) inserting an inner shield through the outer shield so that a distal end portion of the inner shield extends to the disc, the inner shield having an outer surface,
g) contacting the outer surface of the shield to a nerve root to shield the nerve root,
h) microsurgically decompressing any tissue deemed to be causing nerve impingement,
i) extracting the intervertebral disc material including the removal of the cartilaginous material from the vertebral endplates,
j) inserting an interbody device into a disc space,
k) deploying a mechanism of stabilization to stabilize the intervertebral segment.