Spinal rod guide for a vertebral screw spinal rod connector assembly

Abstract

A spinal rod guide and/or guide assembly is provided for mounting a spinal rod onto a spinal rod holder/connector of a vertebral bone screw. The spinal rod guide is configured to extend between an opening in a patient's body and the spinal rod holder of the vertebral bone screw assembly, to receive a spinal rod therein, and thereafter accurately guide the spinal rod into the spinal rod holder. The spinal rod guide is defined by a first elongated arc portion and a second elongated arc portion to define a guide tube for the introduction and placement of additional spinal rod components onto the spinal rod connector, particularly, but not necessarily, for securing the spinal rod into the spinal rod connector. The elongated arc portions are mountable or initially attached onto a top of a spinal rod holder of a spinal rod bone screw assembly. The elongated arc portions (tube) define first and second longitudinal slots extending from a top of the elongated arc portions to a bottom of the elongated arc portions. The two longitudinal slots are situated such as to be diametrically opposite one another. Each longitudinal slot aligns with a spinal rod slot of the spinal rod holder to thereby allow easy placement of the spinal rod into the spinal rod holder. Thereafter, the defined elongated tube provides direct communication and alignment with the top of the spinal rod holder in order to receive a spinal rod connector drive screw for securing the spinal rod into the spinal rod holder.