Patent ID: 8535318

Claim:
A kit for use in minimally invasive spine surgery configured to threadedly attach a cap to a bone anchor, the kit comprising: a tissue retractor defining a partial pathway, the tissue retractor including at least one resiliently movable arm that is movable between an engaged position and a flexed position such that the at least one resiliently movable arm is configured to engage the bone anchor so as to couple the tissue retractor to the bone anchor when the at least one resiliently movable arm is in the engaged position; a cap guide having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion spaced distally from the proximal end portion, the cap guide defining a hollow cavity that extends longitudinally from the proximal end portion toward the distal end portion, the cap guide sized to extend into the partial pathway and configured to couple to the retractor so as to be rotatably fixed to the tissue retractor, the distal end of the cap guide having an interface configured to releasably couple to the cap; a screwdriver having a drive shaft that is configured to be inserted distally into the hollow cavity and engage the cap so as to urge the cap distally thereby causing the cap to disengage from the interface, the drive shaft further configured to rotate so as to cause the cap to rotate and tighten to the bone anchor; and a removal instrument having distal and proximal end portions, the removal instrument including at least one spring arm that is configured to engage the tissue retractor so as to couple the tissue retractor to the removal instrument as the removal instrument is slid into the partial pathway of the tissue retractor, the distal end of the removal instrument having an interface that is configured to engage the at least one resiliently movable arm to thereby cause the at least one resiliently movable arm to move to the flexed position so as to decouple the tissue retractor from the bone anchor as the removal instrument is slid into the partial pathway.