Non cannulated dilators

Abstract

A non-cannulated dilator that is designed with a rigid elongated solid body and with a judiciously configured tip is utilized as the first dilator of a series of dilators which are inserted into the body of a patient for minimally invasive spinal surgery and is made from a solid elongated body, that could be round, ovoid or other cross sectional configuration whose diameter is greater than one and a half (1½) millimeter, and that includes a tool engaging end portion at the proximal end is sufficiently rigid so as not to bend and has a pointed shaped insertion end portion at the distal end with the point of the pointed end being discreetly blunted and utilized in a surgical procedure as a replacement of the typical guide wire and is characterized as providing a “fee” to the surgeon as it penetrates through the tissue and muscle of the patient as it proceeds toward the target.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 024,221 filed on Oct. 30, 2001 and entitled “NON CANNULATED DILATORS,” which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to dilation systems and apparatus used in performing minimal invasive surgery and particularly in an application of the instrument in initiating the surgery where dilators are utilized to enlarge the area where the surgery will be performed on a patient. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] As is well known by those skilled in this technology minimally invasive approaches for performing spinal surgery such as laminotomy, medial facetectomy, foraminotomy, nerve root retraction, discectomy and the like, require an initial cut into the skin and tissue of the patient before a series of increasingly larger diameter dilators are inserted to widen the area where the surgery will be performed...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0004] The present invention obviates the problems noted in the above-paragraphs particularly in minimally invasive spinal surgery where it is necessary to access and decompress the spinal nerves and where safety is of a major concern. This invention utilizes a series of muscle dilators in which the first dilator is solid with a design that permits accurate passage through the muscle tissue without the assistance and risk of a pre-placed guide wire. The tip of this inventive dilator is judiciously designed to part and pass through the muscle fibers and allows the surgeon to maintain a course directed toward the intended anatomical target. Because of the inventive dilator when the muscle is passed in the insertion procedure the likelihood for the surgeon forcing the inventive dilator through the ligamentum flavum and continue to pass into the spinal canal is avoided. My invention contemplates dimensioning the non cannulated dilator such that the surgeon when performing the procedure will get a “feel” as the instrument passes through the tissue and muscle of the patient so that the surgeon will have a good sense of what portion of the anatomy is being penetrated. This will help in assisting the surgeon in avoiding the spinal canal.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, this method is fraught with a potential danger to the patient.

Because the guide wire is relatively thin where it is able to pass through the muscle and ligamentous anatomy, it can protrude into the spinal canal and hence, cause injury to the delicate neural anatomy.

If the misplaced guide wire is not detected before the dilators are inserted, catastrophic injury, such as permanent disablement of the patient can occur.

Obviously, since this is a potential problem as it is considered a risk to a candidate needing minimally invasive surgery, the use of this type of surgery has been stifled and its potential to grow which ultimately is for the benefit of all patients requiring this type of surgery is thwarted.

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