Patent ID: 6740090
Filing Date: 2004-05-25
Classification: A61B,A61F,A61N,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for providing access to a series of adjacent vertebrae located within a human lumbar and sacral spine having an anterior aspect, a posterior aspect and an axial aspect from an anterior or posterior sacral target point of a sacral vertebra in alignment with a visualized, axial instrumentation/fusion line extending in said axial aspect through the series of adjacent vertebral bodies, wherein the axial aspect is curved in the posterior-anterior plane due to curvature of the spinal column, the vertebrae separated by intact or damaged spinal discs, the method comprising the steps of:from the accessed sacral target point, boring a trans-sacral axial bore in alignment with said axial instrumentation/fusion line cephalad and axially through the vertebral bodies of said series of adjacent vertebrae and any intervertebral spinal discs; providing a bore enlarging tool sized to fit within the trans-sacral axial bore; from the accessed sacral target point, inserting the bore enlarging tool to a selected location along the trans-sacral axial bore; and operating the bore enlarging tool to enlarge a section of the trans-sacral axial bore traversing a vertebral body or intervertebral disc space to form at least one recess.