Surgical access system and related methods

摘要

A surgical access system including a tissue distraction assembly and a tissue retraction assembly, both of which may be equipped with one or more electrodes for use in detecting the existence of (and optionally the distance and/or direction to) neural structures before, during, and after the establishment of an operative corridor to a surgical target site. The tissue retraction assembly has a plurality of blades which may be introduced while in a closed configuration, after which point they may be opened to create an operation corridor to the surgical target site, including pivoting at least one blade to expand the operative corridor adjacent to the operative site.

主权项

1. A method of performing a revision surgery of an interbody motion preservation implant including at least two separable components, said motion preservation implant having been inserted into an intervertebral space in a patient's lumbar spine during a first anterior approach surgery, said intervertebral space defined by adjacent first and second vertebral bodies, each of said vertebral bodies having an anterior portion, a posterior portion and opposing lateral portions, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) accessing said intervertebral space through a trans-psoas operative corridor established in a generally lateral direction relative to said intervertebral space; (b) completely removing all components of said intervertebral motion preservation implant from said intervertebral space through said trans-psoas operative corridor such that the entirety of said intervertebral motion preservation implant is extracted from said intervertebral space; (c) after accessing said intervertebral space through said trans-psoas operative corridor, repairing or augmenting an anterior longitudinal ligament previously altered during said first anterior approach surgery; and (d) laterally inserting a spinal fusion implant having a sidewall extending from an upper surface to a lower surface through said trans-psoas operative corridor and into said intervertebral space previously occupied by said motion preservation implant such that said sidewall extends along a full height of said intervertebral space and said upper and lower surfaces of said spinal fusion implant contact said adjacent first and second vertebral bodies.