Patent ID: 8568317

Claim:
A method for safely avoiding nerve tissue during access to a surgical target site at the anterior column of the spine of a patient positioned in a lateral, decubitus position during surgery, comprising: creating an access corridor by advancing a surgical instrument along a lateral, trans-psoas path from an incision site, through non-bone soft tissue, to the surgical target site at the anterior column of the spine, wherein the surgical instrument is equipped with at least one ultrasound transducer for emitting ultrasound signals and further wherein the surgical target site comprises at least one of an intervertebral disc and a vertebral body; while creating the access corridor, emitting ultrasound signals from the at least one transducer on the surgical instrument while advancing the instrument along the lateral, trans-psoas path from the incision site, through non-bone soft tissue, to the surgical target site; processing the ultrasound signals to monitor for at least one of nerve tissue and vasculature located proximate the surgical instrument while advancing the instrument along the lateral, transpsoas path from the incision site, through non-bone soft tissue, to the surgical target site; and indicating on a display the position of the at least one of nerve tissue and vasculature relative to the surgical instrument such that the lateral, trans-psoas path to the surgical target site at the anterior column of the spine of the patient can be adjusted if at least one of nerve tissue and vasculature is positioned within the lateral, trans-psoas path to the surgical target site.