Patent ID: 8870879

Claim:
A minimally invasive method for achieving spinal stabilization, the method including the following steps: implanting a pedicle screw into each vertebra of a portion of the spine to be stabilized, each pedicle screw implanted through a unique incision, each pedicle screw having a head including a first end, and a second end opposed to the first end, aligning each pedicle screw such that a corresponding longitudinal axis of each pedicle screw is parallel to each other and a corresponding passage provided in each pedicle screw is aligned along a longitudinal axis of the spine, subcutaneously threading a suture through the corresponding passage in each pedicle screw by: securing a suture to a first arm of a suture guide tool, the suture guide tool having the first arm pivotally joined to a second arm; passing the suture through the interior space of a first pedicle screw head from the second end of the first pedicle screw head to the first end of the screw head along a longitudinal axis of the pedicle screw head, the first end being closer to the spine than the second end, by inserting the first arm into the interior space of the first pedicle screw head and inserting the second arm into an adjacent pedicle screw head; guiding the suture from the first end of the first pedicle screw head in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spine to the first end of the adjacent pedicle screw head by actuating the suture guide tool such that the suture is transferred from the first arm to the second arm; withdrawing the suture from the adjacent pedicle screw head by removing the suture guide tool from the first pedicle screw head and the adjacent pedicle screw head; and repeating the securing, passing, and guiding steps for the adjacent pedicle screw and any remaining pedicle screws, withdrawing a leading end of the suture from the body through an access incision, subcutaneously threading a hollow pedicle rod through the passage of each pedicle screw by passing the pedicle rod along the suture through the access incision into the body and through each respective passage such that the pedicle rod spans all implanted pedicle screws, and securing the pedicle rod relative to each pedicle screw.