Patent ID: 8262570

Claim:
An access retractor for enlarging an incision during lateral approach surgery, the retractor comprising: a retractor body having an opening, the retractor body generally extending in a plane about the opening; a generally straight portion of the retractor body having a substantially flat surface for being placed adjacent a bone; a pair of opposed retractor body portions that both extend transversely to the generally straight portion; a pair of pivot joints that pivotally connect the opposed retractor body portions to opposite ends of the generally straight portion of the retractor body and permit the opposed retractor body portions to pivot transversely to the plane; a pair of slider members having end portions disposed within the retractor body opening to which tissue engagement members are connected; a pair of slide connections between the slider members and the opposed retractor body portions with each slide connection disposed along a respective one of the opposed retractor body portions offset a predetermined distance from the pivot joint that connects the one opposed retractor body portion to the generally straight portion of the retractor body and configured so that the slider members and connected tissue engagement members are retracted directions extending transverse to the straight portion to avoid contact with the bone against which the flat surface of the retractor body straight portion is engaged; and the generally straight portion of the retractor body being free of any slider member slide connections between the opposite ends thereof.