Patent ID: 8118845

Claim:
A method to perform an anterior cervical microdiskectomy to remove at least one bone spur on a pair of adjacent vertebrae in a spinal column that includes a posterior longitudinal ligament, each vertebra contacting a disk positioned therebetween, the disk including an annulus and a nucleus, the method comprising the steps of (a) removing a portion of the annulus of the disk; (b) removing the nucleus of the disk; (c) removing a portion of the bone spur with a first burr having a spherically shaped abrading head; (d) providing a second burr comprising (i) an elongate shaft having a distal end and a proximate end; and, (ii) a head attached to and extending outwardly from said distal end of said shaft and including a smooth end surface, a smooth rounded peripheral edge circumscribing said end surface, said end surface and rounded peripheral edge shaped and dimensioned to contact rotatably the posterior longitudinal ligament without cutting or puncturing the ligament, and an abrading surface extending away from said smooth end surface and said smooth rounded peripheral edge and inwardly toward said shaft; (e) rotating said second burr; while simultaneously contacting the posterior annulus and the posterior longitudinal ligament, at least a portion of said smooth end surface and said smooth rounded peripheral edge contacting the posterior longitudinal ligament, and, (f) contacting the bone spur with said abrading surface.