Patent ID: 8721536

Claim:
A method of minimally-invasive tissue access, comprising: inserting an intracorporeal instrument through a cannula guide device, the cannula guide device comprising: a guide frame comprising a lower guide element having a convex upper surface and an upper guide element having a concave lower surface; and a cannula support washer moveably coupled within the guide frame between the upper guide element and lower guide element, the washer having a concave lower surface in contact with the convex upper surface of the lower guide element and having a cannula port extending through the cannula support washer wherein the lower guide element, the upper guide element and the cannula support washer each have a complementary geometry that conforms to a surface segment of a sphere; telescopically extending the instrument through the cannula port of the cannula support washer until a distal end of the instrument is positioned intracorporeally and adjacent an anatomic structure; and moving a proximal end of the instrument within the cannula port in the cannula support washer within the guide frame along the convex upper surface around a fixed point located intracorporeally near the distal end of the instrument.