The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 11, 2003
Filed:
Mar. 19, 2001
James F. Marino, La Jolla, CA (US);
Corbett W. Stone, San Diego, CA (US);
Dan K. Ahlgren, San Diego, CA (US);
Troy K. Christopher, San Diego, CA (US);
James T. McKinley, Woodside, CA (US);
Nu Vasive, Inc., San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
A method of positioning a cannula along a path in a patient's intervertebral plane, comprising: suspending a cross member across a patient, the cross member having two cannula guides attached thereto, the cannula guides each being adjustably movable both along the length of the cross member and around a central longitudinally extending axis of the cross member; suspending radiopaque markers from the cannula guides; aligning the radiopoaque markers with the intervertebral plane as viewed in a radio-image, thereby aligning the cannula guides with the intervertebral plane; and advancing a cannula through the cannula guide.