Orthopedic implant rod reduction tool set and method

Abstract

A tool set for implanting a rod in a human spine in conjunction with bone screws.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An elongate guide tool for use with a spinal bone screw, the bone screw including a receiver forming a channel and having a bone screw attachment structure, the guide tool being reversibly attachable to the bone screw attachment structure for guiding a rod into the channel of the receiver, the guide tool comprising:
 a) a body with a longitudinally extending through-bore extending from a top opening to a bottom opening, the body defining a longitudinal axis of the elongate guide tool;   b) a laterally extending pass-through slot extending upwardly from the bottom opening and joined with the through-bore, the pass-through slot defining a pair of spaced opposed legs and being sized and shaped so as to receive the rod therethrough, the pass-through slot being alignable with the channel of the bone screw receiver; and   c) an inwardly projecting attachment structure near the bottom opening sized and shaped to cooperatively engage with the bone screw attachment structure to secure the guide tool to the bone screw;   wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is sloped relative to the longitudinal axis of the elongate guide tool.   
     
     
         2 . The elongate guide tool of  claim 1 , wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is a sloped rectangular protrusion. 
     
     
         3 . The elongate guide tool of  claim 2 , wherein the sloped rectangular protrusion includes rounded corners. 
     
     
         4 . The elongate guide tool of  claim 1 , wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is a first inwardly projecting attachment structure extending from a first leg of the pair of spaced opposed legs, the elongate tool further comprising a second inwardly projecting attachment structure extending from a second leg of the pair of spaced opposed legs. 
     
     
         5 . The elongate tool of  claim 1 , wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is sloped to engage the bone screw attachment structure by rotating the elongate guide tool counter-clockwise relative to the bone screw. 
     
     
         6 . The elongate tool of  claim 1 , wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is sloped to engage the bone screw attachment structure by rotating the elongate guide tool clockwise relative to the bone screw. 
     
     
         7 . The elongate tool of  claim 1 , wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is disposed within a chamber defined between the spaced opposed legs, the chamber further defined by a lateral screw abutment surface offset from the bottom opening. 
     
     
         8 . A tool set for use in implantation of spinal bone screws, the tool set comprising:
 a) a bone anchor comprising:
 a pair of laterally spaced upstanding arms forming a rod-receiving channel therebetween, each of the laterally spaced upstanding arms comprising:
 an external surface extending from a front side to a back side of the receiver; 
 an upper surface; and 
 a non-horizontal groove formed on the external surface of the receiver, the non-horizontal opening groove spaced from the upper surface and slanted relative to the longitudinal axis of the receiver; and 
 
   b) an elongate guide tool, the elongate tool comprising:
 a body with a longitudinally extending through-bore extending from a top opening to a bottom opening, the body defining a longitudinal axis of the elongate guide tool; 
 a laterally extending pass-through slot extending upwardly from the bottom opening and joined with the through-bore, the pass-through slot defining a pair of spaced opposed legs and being sized and shaped so as to receive the rod therethrough, the pass-through slot being alignable with the channel of the bone screw receiver; and 
 an inwardly projecting attachment structure near the bottom opening sized and shaped to cooperatively engage with the non-horizontal groove of the bone anchor. 
   
     
     
         9 . The tool set of  claim 8 , wherein the non-horizontal groove and the inwardly projecting attachment structure are arranged such that the inwardly projecting attachment structure engages the non-horizontal groove when the elongate guide tool is rotated counter-clockwise relative to the bone anchor. 
     
     
         10 . The tool set of  claim 8 , wherein the non-horizontal groove and the inwardly projecting attachment structure are arranged such that the inwardly projecting attachment structure engages the non-horizontal groove when the elongate guide tool is rotated clockwise relative to the bone anchor. 
     
     
         11 . The tool set of  claim 8 , wherein the inwardly projecting attachment structure is disposed within a chamber defined between the spaced opposed legs, the chamber further defined by a lateral screw abutment surface offset from the bottom opening such that when the inwardly projecting attachment structure cooperatively engages the non-horizontal groove of the bone anchor, the upper surfaces of the laterally spaced upstanding arms contact the lateral screw abutment surface. 
     
     
         12 . The tool set of  claim 8 , wherein the non-horizontal groove comprises a first laterally extending caming surface and the inwardly projecting attachment structure comprises a second laterally extending caming surface, and the cooperatively engaging with the inwardly projecting attachment structure and the non-horizontal groove comprises abutting the first laterally extending caming surface and the second laterally extending caming surface.