Patent ID: 8500634

Claim:
A system for forming a trans-psoas operative corridor to a lumbar spine, comprising: a three-bladed psoas retractor tool to create an operative corridor along a lateral, trans-psoas path through bodily tissue toward a targeted intervertebral disc of a lumbar spine, the three-bladed psoas retractor tool including: a first retractor blade is configured to be a posterior-most retractor blade when the three-bladed psoas retractor tool creates the operative corridor along the lateral, trans-psoas path; a second retractor blade is configured to be a caudal-most retractor blade when the three-bladed psoas retractor tool creates the operative corridor along the lateral, trans-psoas path; a third retractor blade is configured to be a cephalad-most retractor blade when the three-bladed psoas retractor tool creates the operative corridor along the lateral, trans-psoas path; and a blade holder assembly comprising adjustable arm members that are pivotable with respect to one another, wherein the posterior-most retractor blade, the caudal-most retractor blade, and the cephalad-most retractor blade extend generally perpendicularly relative to the arm members of the blade holder assembly, wherein the three-bladed psoas retractor tool is adjustable from a first position in which the posterior-most retractor blade, the caudal-most retractor blade, and the cephalad-most retractor blade are positioned to simultaneously advance along the lateral, trans-psoas path to a second position in which the posterior-most retractor blade, the caudal-most retractor blade, and the cephalad-most retractor blade are spaced further apart from one another, the blade holder assembly comprising: a rotatable actuator that causes linear adjustment of a position of the posterior-most retractor blade relative to the caudal-most retractor blade and the cephalad-most retractor blade in response to rotation of the rotatable actuator, wherein the position of the posterior-most retractor blade is linearly adjustable relative to the caudal-most retractor blade and the cephalad-most retractor blade while the caudal-most retractor blade and the cephalad-most retractor blade remain generally stationary relative to one another, wherein when the posterior-most retractor blade, the caudal-most retractor blade, and the cephalad-most retractor blade of the three-bladed psoas retractor tool maintain the operative corridor along the lateral, trans-psoas path through the bodily tissue toward the targeted intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine, the operative corridor is dimensioned so as to pass an implant through the operative corridor along the lateral, trans-psoas path toward the targeted intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine.