Patent ID: 8075581

Claim:
A muscle saving kit useful for minimally invasive surgical procedures, comprising: at least two dilators having a longitudinal axis, the at two dilators having a hollow generally cylindrical body extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, a first portion of the body and a second portion of the body disposed in opposition to one another in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the first portion of the body defining a continuously curved outer surface the second portion of the body tapering to a radially projecting narrow edge formed on only one side of the body, the radially projecting narrow edge being operative upon insertion of the at least two dilators, in the direction of the longitudinal axis, between muscle fibers, to separate the muscle fibers in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and at least one of the at least two dilators being sized differently than another one of the at least two dilators adapted for consecutive placement as a set of dilators.