| 摘要 |
A lateral offset connector is provided for engaging a spinal rod to a vertebral fixation element, such as a hook or a bone screw. The lateral offset connector includes a head portion from which a pair of parallel arms extend to form a slot opening between the arms. The arms are configured with grooves on their underside for receiving the spinal rod. The slot opening between the arms is configured to receive an eyebolt engagement assembly therebetween. The eyebolt is disposed between the arms of the connector and a nut is threaded onto the threaded post of the eyebolt to clamp the spinal rod between the eyebolt and the offset connector arms. The offset connector further includes a threaded post extending from the end of the connector for engagement with the spinal fixation component, such as the bone screw or hook. A nut clamps the fixation component between a rounded shoulder of the connector and the nut. The plurality of grooves in the arms of the connector provides means for readily engaging a plurality of vertebral fixation elements to a spinal rod where the the fixation elements are not colinear along the vertebral column, that is where the lateral distances of the fixation elements relative to the spinal rod varies along the length of the rod. The lateral offset connector of this invention, therefore, eliminates the need for contouring the rod in the saggital plane. |
