Patent ID: 8317692

Claim:
A blade body for use with a surgical retractor and a pedicle screw extender, comprising: a first end portion; a second end portion; an interior surface extending between said end portions; an exterior surface extending between said end portions; a retractor attachment structure at the first end portion extending from the exterior surface, wherein the retractor attachment structure is configured for allowing the blade body to be pivotable about a blade body mounting structure of the surgical retractor; and an alignment member protruding from thee interior surface adjacent the first end portion, wherein the alignment member is configured for being engaged with an alignment member receiving channel of an extension portion of the pedicle screw extender; wherein the blade body has an annular cross-sectional shape such that the exterior surface has a curvature of a larger radius than a curvature of the interior surface; wherein the blade body is elongated such that the annular cross-sectional shape extends from the first end portion of the blade to the second end portion of the blade; wherein the alignment member has a cross-sectional shape allowing translation of the blade body along a length of the extension portion of the pedicle screw extender with a longitudinal centerline axis of the blade body being constrained in a substantially parallel orientation with respect to a longitudinal centerline axis of the extension portion of the pedicle screw extender when the alignment member is engaged within the alignment member receiving channel; and wherein a pivot axis defined by the retractor attachment structure and about which the blade body can be pivoted with respect to the blade body mounting structure of the surgical retractor extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline axis of the blade body.