Patent ID: 8623021

Claim:
A facet joint reamer for creating a postero-lateral access through a vertebral column, the facet joint reamer comprising: a shank extending along a rotary axis and having a distal end portion extending from a main shank portion, said shank being rotatable about said rotary axis; a plurality of teeth, each tooth of said plurality of teeth being adjacent to another tooth of said plurality of teeth, at least a portion of said distal end portion forming said plurality of teeth at said distal end portion of said shank, said plurality of teeth extending around at least a teeth section of a circular circumference of said shank centered on the rotary axis, each of the teeth having a front flank extending parallel to the rotary axis, wherein the distal end portion is wider in diameter than the main shank portion; and a lip, at least another portion of said distal end portion forming said lip at a distal end of said shank, said lip extending over a part of the circumference and said lip projecting along said rotary axis distally over the teeth, said lip being integrally connected to said distal end of said shank, said lip encompassing between 140 and 160 degrees of said circular circumference of said shank, said teeth section comprising a remainder of said circular circumference of said shank.