Patent ID: 7641670

Claim:
A surgical spinal access system for receiving spinal instruments, comprising: a retractor having: a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having an access opening and the distal end sized for insertion into an incision in a patient, the proximal end and distal end having inner surfaces defining an access path, the retractor configured such that the access opening is positioned outside the patient during use, the retractor being configured for an unexpanded configuration completely surrounding the access path during insertion into the incision, and an expanded configuration when located a surgical site in the patient, the retractor when in the expanded configuration configured to expand to provide maximum exposure to a surgical site at the distal end; and an expander having a first portion pivotally connected to a second portion, the first and second portions structured to be inserted through the access path and engage the inner surface of the distal end of the retractor, wherein pivoting the first and second portions away from each other moves the retractor from the unexpanded to the expanded configuration, wherein the retractor is structured to remain in the expanded configuration when the expander is withdrawn from the access path.