Orthopedic screws and prostheses for use with polymer cables are disclosed herein. An orthopedic screw is configured to retain a polymer cable (12) when the polymer cable is positioned in a thru hole (5) present in the body of said orthopedic screw. This may be accomplished by an orthopedic screw comprising a set screw and a complimentary threaded hole, wherein the threaded hole intersects the thru hole and wherein the polymer cable is secured in the thru hole by tightening the set screw. In an embodiment, the threaded hole extends beyond the thru hole.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the problems associated with elongating an existing pedicle screw and rod construct. To this end, there is proposed a spinal rod assembly for elongating an in situ spinal posterior rod system by connecting the spinal rod construct to a head of an in situ bone fastener. The spinal rod assembly according to one embodiment comprises a rod connector and at least one rod fastener, wherein the rod connector comprises a first connector head and a second connector head, connected by an elongated bar, and forming a space between the first and second connector heads. The first connector head comprises a first pocket for receiving a first rod end, while the second connector head comprises a second pocket for receiving a second rod end.

A reducer comprises a reducing shaft for engaging a stabilization member, a reducer body for engaging a pedicle screw extender and receiving the reducing shaft along an axis, and one or more of a three-pawl clutch mechanism, a three-stage locking mechanism and a closure mechanism. The clutch mechanism comprises a clutch housing comprising a central passage into which the reducing shaft extends and ports intersecting the central passage, a clutch knob surrounding the clutch housing, and clutch pawls disposed within the ports. The locking mechanism attaches the reducer body to the pedicle screw extender and comprises a first pivoting lever comprising a toothed end, a second pivoting lever comprising a socket for engaging the tooth, and a protrusion configured to engage the pedicle screw extender. The closure mechanism comprises a driver shaft extending through the reducing shaft and a biasing element to bias the driver shaft to a retracted position.

Systems and methods of operating a tower extender in conjunction with a bone anchor housing can comprise positioning a plurality of deflectable members of a distal end of the tower extender proximate the bone anchor housing, pushing the distal end of the tower extender into engagement with the bone anchor housing to flex the plurality of deflectable members around the bone anchor housing to attach the tower extender relative to the bone anchor housing, rotating a knob to lock the plurality of deflectable members from deflecting away from the bone anchor housing, performing a portion of a surgical procedure with the tower extender, rotating the knob to deflect the plurality of deflectable members away from the bone anchor housing and puling the tower extender away from the bone anchor housing.

A bone fixation system comprises a first fastener configured to anchor into a first vertebrae, a second fastener configured to anchor into a second vertebrae, and a set screw to retain the second fastener to the first fastener. The first fastener includes a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and a head. The shaft includes a first cylindrical body. The head of the first fastener includes a second cylindrical body defining a passageway having an interior surface. The passageway defines a longitudinal axis that is different than the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The first cylindrical body of the shaft and the second cylindrical body of the head are angled relative to each other. A head of the second fastener is configured to engage the interior surface of the passageway of the head of the first fastener. The set screw retains the head of the second fastener in the passageway.

A coupling device for coupling a rod to a bone anchoring element includes a receiving part with a head receiving portion for receiving a head of the bone anchoring element, a rod receiving portion for receiving the rod, a downwardly facing surface, and an upwardly facing surface below and monolithically formed with the downwardly facing surface, and a locking member movable relative to the receiving part from a first position where the head is insertable into the head receiving portion to a second position where the head is prevented from being removed from the head receiving portion. At least part of the locking member is held to the receiving part between the downwardly and upwardly facing surfaces, and wherein the receiving part and the locking member are only separable from one another by permanently deforming or damaging at least one of the receiving part or the locking member.

Disclosed is a fenestrated bone anchor suitable for being anchored in live bone tissue of a human or animal patient. The bone anchor comprises a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end and a circumferential surface extending from the proximal end to the distal end. The shaft further comprises a longitudinal cavity extending from the proximal end towards the distal end and a plurality of lateral channels extending through a wall of the shaft from the axial cavity to the circumferential surface. The lateral channel has a pear-shaped cross section and/or the thickness of the wall increases gradually in selected ones of directions towards the lateral channels. The fenestrated bone anchor is e.g. a component of a surgical system comprising an interbody fusion device of the stand-alone type.

Embodiments of architecture, systems, and methods to develop a learning/evolving system to robotically perform and model one or more activities of a medical procedure where the medical procedure may include diagnosing a patient's medical condition(s), treating medical condition(s), and robotically diagnosing a patient's medical condition(s) and performing one or more medical procedure activities based on the diagnosis without User intervention where the activities may be performed in computer-based environment formed by the learning/evolving system, live, or a combination thereof.

An instrument includes an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve positioned in the outer sleeve. The inner sleeve defines a cavity. The shaft extends through the inner sleeve and includes a drive. A latch is positioned in the cavity. An inner sheath extends through an outer sheath and has a proximal end positioned between the inner sleeve and the shaft and a distal end comprising a threaded surface. The proximal end of the inner sheath includes a groove. The inner sleeve is movable relative to the outer sleeve to move the instrument between a first orientation in which the latch is positioned in the groove and the sheaths are prevented from translating relative to the outer sleeve and a second orientation in which the latch is spaced apart from the groove and the sheaths are translatable relative to the outer sleeve. Systems, implants and methods are disclosed.

A pivotal bone anchor assembly includes a shank having an anchor portion and a head with a partially spherical outer surface, a drive socket, an annular planar top surface surrounding the drive socket, and a frusto-conical surface between the planar top surface and the partially spherical outer surface. The assembly further includes a receiver having a base defining an axial bore and an upper portion defining a channel configured to receive a rod, and an insert positionable within the axial bore having an upper surface engageable with the rod, a lower surface for transferring a downwardly-directed force toward the head, and a central aperture for accessing the drive socket, with the rod extending across the central aperture when the fixation rod is engaged by the upper surface. After the head, the insert, and the rod are positioned in the receiver, the frusto-conical surface remains spaced apart from the rod to provide for increased articulation of the shank relative to the receiver.