TODAY’S PATENT – RETRACTOR AND METHOD FOR SPINAL PEDICLE SCREW PLACEMENT

The Retractor and method for spinal pedicle screw placement was invented by Stephen Ritland on the 16^th August, 2005, bearing patent number US6929606B2.

Several embodiments of cutting tips for tools for creating voids in interior body regions are provided. The cutting tips provide for rotational and translational cutting. An actuator mechanism for deploying a cutting tip converts the rotational movement of a wheel into translational movement of a plunger rod. The actuator mechanism provides positive cutting action as the cutting tip is moved from a first, non-deployed position to a second, deployed position and from the second, deployed position to the first, non-deployed position. Methods of creating a void in bone provide one or more mechanical cutting tools that may be used in combination with one or more expandable void-creating structures to form a void of a desired size and configuration.

This invention relates generally to tools for creating cavities or voids in interior body regions. In particular, the invention relates to creating voids in bone for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.