Patent ID: 7918878

Claim:
A method of securing a spinal rod to a vertebral bone, the method comprising: forming a relatively small incision at a surgical site adjacent a first vertebral bone; engaging a locking device of a pedicle screw assembly to a distal end portion of a first tool; manipulating the pedicle screw assembly and spinal rod with surgical tools via the small incision, including: securing the pedicle screw assembly to the first vertebral bone; advancing the locking device into the small incision with the locking device connected to the distal end portion of the first tool; turning the locking device of the pedicle screw assembly to a first predetermined rotary position in a yoke of the pedicle screw assembly using the first tool; sliding a projecting pin of the first tool in a circumferentially extending slot of a tubular member until the pin abuts an end of the slot which restricts the first tool from turning the locking device beyond the first predetermined rotary position; adjusting the spinal rod received in the yoke of the pedicle screw assembly with the locking device at the first predetermined rotary position; disengaging the first tool from the locking device and withdrawing the first tool from the small incision; advancing a second tool into the small incision and engaging the locking device with a distal end portion of the second tool; turning the locking device beyond the first predetermined rotary position to clamp the spinal rod in the yoke using the second tool; sliding a projecting pin of the second tool in the circumferentially extending slot of the tubular member until the pin abuts the end of the slot which restricts the second tool from turning the locking device beyond a second predetermined rotary position; and confining a guideway through the small incision through which tools manipulate the pedicle screw assembly and the spinal rod with viewing of the pedicle screw assembly and spinal rod during manipulation being obstructed by the confined guideway and tool or tools therein.