Patent ID: 7137985

Claim:
A marking and guidance system for use during spinal fixation surgery, comprising: a guide tube configured to be inserted into a patient's back until a first end reaches an entry point on or near a vertebral bone of the patient's spinal column, wherein said guide tube comprises a hollow cylindrical channel along its longitudinal center axis; a penetrating device configured to be positioned within the cylindrical channel of the guide tube and having a sharp tip configured to protrude outwardly from said first end of the guide tube so as to allow the first end of the guide tube to penetrate through the patient's back muscle and tissue and reach the vertebral bone at the entry point; a marking pin configured to be inserted through the cylindrical channel of the guide tube, after removal of the penetrating device, until a first end of the marking pin having a sharp tip reaches the entry point; and a pushing device configured to be inserted through the cylindrical channel of the guide tube and provide a driving force at a second end of the marking pin, opposite the first end, so as to drive and secure the first end of the marking pin into the vertebral bone, wherein the marking pin identifies the location of the entry point on the vertebral bone for subsequent implantation of a securing member of a spinal fixation device.