Patent ID: 8870880

Claim:
A method of inserting an implant, comprising: providing an expandable vertebral implant; providing an angling inserter tool comprising a handle portion, a base portion, and a tip assembly, the base portion being disposed between the handle portion and the tip assembly; distally advancing a central shaft of the tip assembly with rotation into an opening in the expandable vertebral implant to secure the angling inserter tool to the expandable vertebral implant; positioning the expandable vertebral implant in a patient's spine; distally advancing an internal shaft to cause the tip assembly to angulate with respect to a longitudinal axis of the angling inserter tool, wherein the internal shaft is coaxial with an outer cylinder of the base portion; and rotating a primary drive shaft of the base portion to cause a gear member on the expandable vertebral implant to rotate thereby causing the expandable vertebral implant to expand, wherein the primary drive shaft is coaxial with the internal shaft, wherein the step of distally advancing the central shaft comprises rotating a secondary drive shaft to cause the central shaft to distally advance, wherein the secondary drive shaft is coaxial with the primary drive shaft.