Patent ID: 9289249
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A method of driving a bone anchor assembly into bone, comprising: forming an incision; passing a distal tip of a stylus through the incision to position the distal tip of the stylus in proximity to a bone, the stylus being coupled, during said passing, to a driver that is coupled to a bone anchor assembly such that the stylus extends through the driver and through a cannulation of the bone anchor assembly and protrudes from a distal end of the bone anchor assembly; sliding a collar disposed around an outermost surface of the driver from a first position in which the stylus can translate axially relative to the driver only when the stylus is rotated relative to the driver to a second position in which the stylus is free to translate axially relative to the driver without being rotated relative to the driver; advancing the distal tip of the stylus into the bone and relative to the bone anchor assembly; and rotating the driver relative to the bone while holding a handle portion of the stylus at a fixed rotational position relative to the bone such that the stylus is translated axially in a proximal direction relative to the bone anchor assembly as the bone anchor assembly is advanced distally into the bone and such that the stylus is maintained at a fixed rotational and longitudinal position relative to the bone as the bone anchor assembly is advanced distally into the bone.