Patent ID: 8548579

Claim:
A method for inserting a spinal implant through a trans-psoas operative corridor to an intervertebral disc, comprising: sequentially inserting a plurality of trans-psoas dilators of increasing diameters to provide a trans-psoas path through bodily tissue toward a lateral aspect of a targeted intervertebral disc of a lumbar spine, the plurality of dilators comprising: a first dilator having a first length, a second dilator to slidably engage with an exterior of the first dilator and having a second length less than the first length of the first dilator, wherein the second dilator comprises: a proximal connector region configured to releasably mate with an electrical cable of a nerve monitoring system, and a stimulation electrode exposed along a tapered distal tip region of the second dilator to emit an electrical stimulation signal to the bodily tissue for nerve monitoring while the second dilator is positioned in the trans-psoas path, and a third dilator to slidably engage with an exterior of the second dilator and having a third length less than the second length of the second dilator, wherein the third dilator comprises: a proximal connector region configured to releasably mate with the electrical cable of a nerve monitoring system, and a stimulation electrode exposed along a tapered distal tip region of the third dilator to emit an electrical stimulation signal to the bodily tissue for nerve monitoring while the third dilator is positioned in the trans-psoas path; sliding a working corridor instrument over an outermost of the plurality of trans-psoas dilators along the trans-psoas path through the bodily tissue to the lateral aspect of the targeted intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine, the working corridor instrument being configured to enlarge the trans-psoas path through the bodily tissue and define a trans-psoas operative corridor along the trans-psoas path through the bodily tissue toward the lateral aspect of the targeted intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine, wherein the trans-psoas operative corridor defined by the working corridor instrument is dimensioned so as to pass a spinal fusion implant through the trans-psoas operative corridor to the targeted intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine.