Patent ID: 9585678
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A surgical tool system for implanting facet joint screws percutaneously, comprising: an elongated probe; an elongated guide sleeve; an inclinometer constructed and arranged for mounting on the probe and sensing angular deviations of the probe from a horizontal and a vertical plane, and for indicating corresponding trajectories of the probe; a guide anchor screw or pin configured to be fixed on a spinous process on a given vertebra of a patient's spine, and the screw or pin has a guide opening or channel dimensioned for passage of the probe, and for enabling the probe to swivel so that a distal end of the probe contacts an exposed first facet joint on one side of the spine, and the inclinometer when mounted on the probe indicates a first trajectory from the screw or pin to the first facet joint; the guide sleeve is constructed and arranged so that the inclinometer or other like inclinometer is mountable on the sleeve, and the guide opening or channel in the screw or pin when fixed on the spinous process enables the guide sleeve to swivel about the screw or pin to a position at which the inclinometer indicates a second trajectory from the screw or pin to an unexposed second facet joint on the opposite side of the spine, wherein the second trajectory and the first trajectory are symmetrical with respect to an axis of the spine; a length of guide wire dimensioned for passing through the guide sleeve along the second trajectory so that a distal tip of the guide wire penetrates the second facet joint percutaneously; and a cannulated facet screw formed and dimensioned to slide over the guide wire for threading into the second facet joint percutaneously after the guide sleeve is withdrawn; wherein the guide anchor screw or pin is in the form of a polyaxial surgical screw or pin including a swivel head and a cap.