Patent ID: 7749232

Claim:
An electromagnetically guided spinal rod system for placing a spinal rod into screw heads of screws positioned in bone material, said spinal rod system comprising: an elongated, tubular-shaped screw inserter having a top portion with signal relay junctions located on opposite sides of said top portion and rod access slots extending longitudinally for a length along said screw inserter; a screw inserter hinge lock having signal relay junction couplings wherein said inserter hinge lock has a structure for disposing over said top portion and wherein said signal relay junction couplings are electrically coupled to said signal relay junctions located on opposite sides of said top portion a rod detection system adjacent to said rod access slots of said screw inserter and electrically coupled to said signal relay junctions; and a rod pusher having a handle and a curved portion with a spinal rod receiver wherein said curved portion is sized to guide the spinal rod into said rod access slots.