Patent ID: 8361122

Claim:
A spinal fixation system comprising: a connecting rod; a taper lock screw including: a screw including a shaft and a superiorly positioned screw head; an inner housing including unlocking tool receptors; and an outer housing circumferentially disposed around at least a portion of the inner housing, the outer housing including a proximal, circumferentially disposed, outwardly directed flange, wherein the outer and inner housings are translatable relative to one another to cause transitioning of the taper lock screw between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein upper surfaces of the connecting rod and the flange are substantially coplanar when the taper lock screw is in the locked position to support the rod within the inner housing; a locking device releasably connectable to and operationally interactable with the flange; and an unlocking device releasably connectable to and operationally interactable with the flange.