Patent ID: 9622735
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A surgical access system or accessing a surgical target site within a spine, comprising: a retractor having a distal end and a proximal end and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, the retractor including at least one retraction element, the retraction element having a generally concave inner face and a generally convex exterior face, the retraction element having a closed configuration defining a lumen having an internal dimension transverse to the longitudinal axis, and an open configuration in which the internal dimension, at least at the distal end, is enlarged relative to said closed configuration, the open configuration creating and maintaining an operative corridor to said target site with a field of view, wherein the field of view is at least substantially the same as that of the internal dimension of the retraction element; and an elongated element adapted to be movably coupled to an interior wall of the retractor, wherein the elongated element is formed of a single, monolithic structure, wherein the elongated element is configured such that when movably coupled to the retractor, the elongated element creates an extension extending distal of a distal end of the retractor, the elongated element configured to cover a body structure at the target site without substantially reducing the field of view through the retractor and without blocking access to the operative corridor for insertion of additional surgical instruments through the retractor to the target site.