A method and apparatus for preparing a region between adjacent bones for fusion. A first aperture is formed that extends through one of the bones. An undercutting system is inserted into the first aperture. The undercutting system includes an insertion apparatus and a cutting assembly. A first path is cut between the adjacent bones by extending or retracting the cutting assembly with respect to the insertion apparatus.

Disclosed is a surgical targeting device for assisting placement of an elongated guidance member in a bone. The targeting device comprises a bottom portion having a dome-shaped convex outer surface and comprising a guidance through-hole extending along a guidance through-hole central axis for receiving the guidance member. A top portion of the targeting device is configured to be gripped by a tool. Further, a surgical system is disclosed which comprises the surgical targeting device.

A method of performing arthroplasty of an anatomical joint for receipt of an implant is disclosed. The method includes developing a preoperative plan, designing a patient specific guide based on the preoperative plan, obtaining the patient specific guide, placing the patient specific guide relative to the identified bone, fixing a pair of pins into the bone to establish an Alpha plane and executing the preoperative plan while referencing the Alpha plane. A desired amount of remaining first bone is determined based on a condition of the anatomical joint and a desired orientation of the implant. The patient specific guide includes a pair of bores defined therein and located in positions to accept a complementary pair of pins. The bores are arranged at locations on the patient specific guide to orient the respective pins in a direction optimized for surgeon access to the first bone and to establish the Alpha plane.

An attachment for a drill includes an inner housing configured to be coupled to the drill. The attachment also includes an outer housing positioned at least partially around the inner housing. The attachment also includes a vertical guide coupled to or integral with the inner housing. The attachment also includes a horizontal guide coupled to or integral with the outer housing. The attachment also includes a guide adapter configured to move along the vertical guide and the horizontal guide. The inner housing and the vertical guide are configured to move vertically with respect to the outer housing and the guide adapter, and the inner housing and the guide adapter are configured to move laterally with respect to the horizontal guide and the outer housing.

Systems, methods, software and techniques for generating a milling path for a tool of a surgical system are provided. The milling path is designed to remove a resection volume associated with an anatomical volume. A reference guide is defined with respect to the resection volume. Sections are defined along the reference guide in succession. Each section intersects the reference guide at a different intersection point and is at a specified orientation relative to the reference guide at the intersection point. Each section further intersects the resection volume. A section path is generated to be bounded within each section and defined relative to the resection volume. A plurality of transition segments are generated and each transition segment connects section paths of successive sections along the reference guide.

Tools and methods for expanding a precursor hole in a host material to receive a fixture. The precursor hole is enlarged by a rotary tool having helical flutes and interposed lands. The flutes have a negative rake angle. The lands each have a working edge that cuts the host material when the tool is rotated in a cutting direction, and that condenses the host material when the tool is rotated in a densifying direction. The body of the rotary tool has a stopper section that plugs the hole when a certain depth is reached. When the tool is used with a copious wash of irrigating fluid at or below the necessary depth, hydraulic pressure builds inside the precursor hole. The hydraulic pressure can be advantageously exploited in cutting mode to autograft a slurry of host material particles into the sidewalls of the hole and create an incipient densifying crust.

An anti-skive bone drill assembly is provided, and may be used for spinal surgical procedures. The anti-skive assembly can include a sheath, a drill bit disposed within the sheath, and a mechanism for maneuvering the drill bit within the sheath. The anti-skive assembly, and particularly the sheath, may be mounted in a surgical robot. The anti-skive assembly may be used to side cut a bone to create a flattened surface in an otherwise non-perpendicular bone surface.

A milling assembly for orthopaedic surgery includes: a milling body including a coupling section with a body coupler, a pilot stem extending from the coupling section, an exterior wall, and a window formed in the exterior wall; and a milling frame that is coupled to the milling body. The milling frame includes a frame coupler that is coupled to the body coupler and a reamer guiding section. The reamer guiding section has a reamer slot that is aligned with the window of the milling body when the frame coupler is coupled to the body coupler.

A surgical system and method of operating the same include a manipulator with a base, a robotic arm coupled to the base, and a saw tool coupled to the robotic arm to perform a cut of a bone. A control system is coupled the manipulator and obtains data defining a cutting plane for the bone and a pre-determined depth of the bone to be cut by the saw tool along the cutting plane. The control system associates a virtual planar boundary with the bone along the cutting plane and controls the manipulator to autonomously align the saw tool to the cutting plane. The control system controls the manipulator to activate and autonomously move the saw tool along the cutting plane to perform the cut. Autonomous movement of the saw tool is constrained to remain within the virtual planar boundary and not exceed the pre-determined depth.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.