Patent ID: 7914530

Claim:
A method for performing a surgical procedure on a spine of a patient, comprising: providing an apparatus having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, a length between the proximal and distal ends, a longitudinal axis extending through the proximal and distal ends, a first portion and a second portion each having a tapered portion at the distal end, the first and second portions being spaced apart from each other, each of the tapered portions having an at least in part arcuate exterior surface spaced from the longitudinal axis, and at least in part arcuate cross sections transverse to the longitudinal axis, the at least in part arcuate cross sections progressively decreasing in area in a direction from the proximal end to the distal end, and each of the first and second portions having a length and a width perpendicular to the length, the lengths of the first and second portions being at least three times the widths of the first and second portions; placing the apparatus into the patient to provide access to a disc of the spine adjacent the first and second portions; inserting a first tool through the apparatus and into the spine; and inserting a second tool through the apparatus and into the spine prior to removing the first tool.