Patent ID: 9439782
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: A61F

Claim Text:
1. A surgical system comprising: an inserter for retaining an intervertebral fusion cage in a rotationally secure state, the inserter reversibly connected to the intervertebral fusion cage having a frame that comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a leading end, a trailing end, and a pair of lateral walls, the intervertebral fusion cage having a hollow interior and an exterior, and the top wall and the bottom wall each have at least one opening allowing for fluid communication between the hollow interior and an exterior of the cage, said cage configured for receiving in its interior a fusion promoting material comprising bone graft material, for placement within the hollow interior of the fusion cage; and wherein said inserter comprises a rigid shaft that has a diameter of from between about 4 mm to 5 mm, with the length of the inserter being sufficient to be inserted into an operating cannula for performing minimally invasive surgery on a human spine, said rigid shaft having a first portion and a second portion and a preset angle between said first portion and said second portion, said preset angle between the first portion and the second portion of the shaft being within the range of 5 to 45 degrees, said second portion having a threaded distal end that connects to said cage, wherein the preset angle between the first portion and the second portion of the shaft is sufficient to permit the inserter to be operatively associated with an operating cannula positioned at an angle less than perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vertebrae, wherein said inserter comprises a fixed integral angled shaft and wherein said first and second portions are integrally fixed at a preset and non-adjustable angle along said shaft; a handle associated with the first portion of the shaft, the handle having a different thickness than the shaft and being offset from the second portion by a preset angle so that the handle is not in the same plane as the second portion, wherein the material of the inserter is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, iron, titanium, steel, stainless steel, surgical stainless steel of the general alloy type of iron, carbon, chromium (12-20%) molybdenum (0.2-3%) and nickel (8-12%), martensitic steel, grade 316L austenitic steel, grade 316LVM austenitic steel, grade 316 stainless steel, medical grade plastic and PEEK; wherein said inserter has a distal end having an annular lip that is offset from the handle, said annular lip providing a point of contact for the fusion cage such that when the fusion cage is held in place by the inserter the fusion cage contacts the annular lip; wherein said inserter secures the intevertebral fusion cage to said distal end of said cage and at least two fenestrations of said cage accommodate insertion of the tool between the vertebrae; and wherein the angle between the first portion and the second portion of the shaft is within the range of about 15 to 25 degrees.