Surgical instrument
First Claim
1. A set of surgical instruments for sizing a graft to be removed from the iliac crest for insertion into a space between distracted vertebral bodies, each of said instruments including, a template head and handle means for inserting the head into the the space formed between the distracted vertebral bodies, said template head having a generally rectangular configuration formed by a pair of spaced parallel flat surfaces separated a predetermined distance by a generally flat planar outer end surface, an inner end surface, and a pair of flat planar side surfaces connected to the outer end surface by rounded corners to provide a desired thickness for each template head for determining the width of the space between the vertebral bodies with the thickness of the individual template heads varying in thickness with respect to each other to provide a range of template head thicknesses.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved surgical instrument for performing an anterior cervical interbody arthrodesis includes a template head and a handle connected by a stem. The head has a predetermined thickness and a plurality of depth indicating lines marked on one of the surfaces thereof. The handle is grasped by a surgeon and the template head is inserted into a space previously occupied by an intervertebrated disc after removal of the disc by the surgeon. The depth of penetration of the head into the space is determined from the depth indication lines and the width of the space determined from the thickness of the template head. The head of the device is layed on an exposed iliac crest of the patient to provide a template for removing the desired thickness of bone graft. The removed bone graft is layed on the flat surface of the head and sized in thickness by the indication lines in relationship to the depth of the space previously measured the indication lines on the head. This produces an accurately sized bone graft in both length and thickness which is then placed in the space between the end plates of spaced vertebral bodies to be fused thereby.
317 Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A set of surgical instruments for sizing a graft to be removed from the iliac crest for insertion into a space between distracted vertebral bodies, each of said instruments including, a template head and handle means for inserting the head into the the space formed between the distracted vertebral bodies, said template head having a generally rectangular configuration formed by a pair of spaced parallel flat surfaces separated a predetermined distance by a generally flat planar outer end surface, an inner end surface, and a pair of flat planar side surfaces connected to the outer end surface by rounded corners to provide a desired thickness for each template head for determining the width of the space between the vertebral bodies with the thickness of the individual template heads varying in thickness with respect to each other to provide a range of template head thicknesses.
Specification