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US20030195549A1 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Cannula for receiving surgical instruments

Assignee: Zimmer Spine Inc
•
Filing: 2003-05-16
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2023-05-16
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Abstract

Abstract A cannula ( 10 ) receives surgical instruments ( 120 ) for performing a surgical procedure on a body ( 130 ). The cannula ( 10 ) comprises a tube structure ( 12 ) defining a passage ( 16 ) through which the surgical instruments ( 120 ) are inserted into the body ( 130 ). The tube structure ( 12 ) has a proximal end ( 20 ) and a distal end ( 62 ). The tube structure ( 12 ) includes an expandable portion ( 40 ) for enabling an increase in the cross-sectional area of the passage ( 16 ) at the distal end ( 62 ). The expandable portion ( 40 ) of the tube structure ( 12 ), when expanded, has a conical configuration.

Inventors

  • 👤 Thomas Davison
  • 👤 Timothy Taylor
  • 👤 Adam Sher

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-24 05:08
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B17/00; A61B17/34; A61B17/3417; A61B17/3421; A61B17/02; A61B17/0218; A61B17/16; A61B17/17; A61B17/1739; A61B17/1757; A61B17/32; A61B17/320016; A61B17/32002; A61B17/3439; A61B17/0293; A61B17/1735; A61B17/28; A61B17/2812; A61B17/282; A61B17/29; A61B17/00234; A61B2017/00238; A61B2017/00261; A61B2017/0046

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim 95 words
1 . A system for providing minimally invasive access to the spine of a patient, said system comprising: an elongate body having a distal end, a proximal end, an outer surface and an inner surface, said inner surface defining a passage extending through the elongate body through which instruments can be inserted to the surgical location; and an expander configured to be inserted into the passage and to engage the inner surface to cause opposing portions of the distal end of the elongate body to be moved transversely to increase access to the surgical location.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 95 words
1 . A system for providing minimally invasive access to the spine of a patient, said system comprising: an elongate body having a distal end, a proximal end, an outer surface and an inner surface, said inner surface defining a passage extending through the elongate body through which instruments can be inserted to the surgical location; and an expander configured to be inserted into the passage and to engage the inner surface to cause opposing portions of the distal end of the elongate body to be moved transversely to increase access to the surgical location.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 58 words
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the expander is configured to engage the inner surface to move the elongate body such that the cross-sectional area of the passage at a first location is greater than the cross-sectional area of said passage at a second location, wherein the first location is distal to the second location.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 31 words
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the elongate body comprises rigid material extending around substantially the entire perimeter of the cross-sectional area between the first and second locations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 21 words
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface defining the passage is made of a smooth metal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 20 words
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the passage is sized to receive at least two instruments simultaneously.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 21 words
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the expander comprises a pair of legs pivotally connected to one another.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 33 words
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the elongate body includes an area overlap between the inner surface and outer surface, and wherein actuating the expander reduces the area of overlap.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 37 words
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the elongate body includes two portions capable of pivoting relative to each other, and wherein actuating the expander causes the two portions to pivot relative to each other.

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