Oval dilator and retractor set and method
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Accused Products
Abstract
Access to a greater area of surgical site with minimally invasive procedure is obtained by using two sets of sequentially placed tissue dilators oriented with their axes in a plane parallel to the spinal axis and a final non-circular dilator encompassing the two sets, followed by a non-circular tubular retractor providing a working channel extending longitudinally of the spine.
53 Citations
51 Claims
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1-9. -9. (canceled)
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10. A dilator combination used in soft tissue of an animal body to provide access to a planned surgical site adjacent the spine and comprising:
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a first set of telescoped tissue-dilator tubes coaxial with a first axis;
a second set of telescoped tissue-dilator tubes coaxial with a second axis; and
an enveloping dilator tube having a proximal end and a distal end and a non-circular cross-section, said enveloping dilator tube encompassing said first and second sets of dilator tubes and slidably received on said first and second sets. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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16-37. -37. (canceled)
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45. A dilator combination used in soft tissue of an animal body to provide access to a planned surgical site adjacent the spine and comprising:
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at least one first dilator tube extending along a first axis and having a circular cross-section transversely to said first axis;
at least one second dilator tube extending along a second axis and having a circular cross-section transversely to said second axis; and
an enveloping dilator tube having a proximal end and a distal end and a channel extending along a longitudinal axis and said channel including a non-circular cross-sectional shape transversely to said longitudinal axis, said enveloping dilator tube encompassing said first and second dilator tubes in said channel with said first and second dilator tubes in side-by-side relation to one another. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A dilator combination used in soft tissue of an animal body to provide access to a planned surgical site adjacent the spine and comprising:
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at least one first set of dilator tubes coaxial with a first axis and having a circular cross-section transversely to said first axis;
at least one second dilator tubes coaxial with a second axis and having a circular cross-section transversely to said second axis; and
an enveloping dilator tube having a proximal end and a distal end, said enveloping dilator tube including a channel and an external surface extending along a longitudinal axis between said proximal and distal ends, said channel and said external surface each including a non-circular cross-sectional shape transversely to said longitudinal axis, said enveloping dilator tube encompassing said first and second sets of dilator tubes in said channel with said first and second sets of dilator tubes in side-by-side relation to one another. - View Dependent Claims (51)
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Specification