Patent ID: 8758412

Claim:
A method comprising: passing a solid needle ( 1 ) coupled to a guide wire ( 4 ) between a patient's spinous processes ( 7 ); removing said needle ( 1 ) and threading said guide wire ( 4 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ), wherein this step comprises creating an exit puncture wound ( 8 ) by pushing said needle ( 1 ) between a patient's spinous processes ( 7 ) until said needle ( 1 ) exits said patient's skin ( 5 ) and while leaving said guide wire ( 4 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ); passing an inter-spinous process decompression (IPD) tusk-shaped sizer ( 9 ) guided by said guide wire ( 4 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ); imaging said IPD tusk-shaped sizer ( 9 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ) to determine a suitable IPD implant ( 16 ) size; removing said IPD tusk-shaped sizer ( 9 ) and leaving said guide wire ( 4 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ); feeding said guide wire ( 4 ) through an IPD tusk-shaped implant tool ( 23 ) and coupling the guide wire ( 4 ) to an IPD implant ( 16 ); passing said IPD tusk-shaped implant tool ( 23 ) guided by said guide wire ( 4 ) and said IPD implant ( 16 ) coupled to the end of said guide wire ( 4 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ); imaging said IPD implant tusk-shaped tool ( 23 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ) to determine IPD implant ( 16 ) positioning; positioning and leaving said IPD implant ( 16 ) between said spinous processes ( 7 ); and removing said IPD implant tusk-shaped tool ( 23 ).