Surgical instruments

1. Surgical instruments for use in a surgical operation for inserting an interspinous spacer having a block-like shape formed with a hollow portion into a space between adjacent spinous processes, the surgical instruments comprising:

an insertion instrument having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end; and

a grasping instrument to grasp the insertion instrument,

wherein the insertion instrument having an inserting portion to be passed through the hollow portion of the interspinous spacer, a support portion provided at the second end to prevent the interspinous spacer from falling off from the insertion instrument when the inserting portion is inserted into the hollow portion of the interspinous spacer, and a grasped portion provided near the first end, the grasped portion to be grasped by the grasping instrument in a state that the inserting portion is inserted into the hollow portion of the interspinous spacer so that the interspinous spacer is positioned between the grasped portion and the support portion.

2. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support portion has a gradually decreasing part of which cross sectional area gradually decreases toward the second end of the insertion instrument.

3. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support portion has a first abutment portion on which one end surface of the interspinous spacer is adapted to abut.

4. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the grasped portion includes a first part having a cross sectional area in a plane vertical to the longitudinal direction of the insertion instrument, the cross section area of the first part being smaller than that of the insertion portion.

5. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the grasped portion includes a second part having a cross sectional area larger than that of the first part at the side of the first end from the first part.

6. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the grasping instrument includes a pair of arm members each having a manipulating portion at the proximal end thereof and a grasping portion at the distal end thereof to grasp the grasped portion, in which the arm members are rotatably coupled at a pivotal point.

7. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the grasping portions are formed with grooves having a shape corresponding to the shape of the grasped portion to grasp the grasped portion.

8. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the grasping portions include second abutment portions on which one end surface of the interspinous spacer is adapted to abut.

9. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the grasping instrument is bent in a direction vertical to the rotational direction of the arm members.

10. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the grasping instrument is bent toward the side where the second abutment portions are provided.

11. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first abutment portions and/or the second abutment portions have surfaces, and at least the surfaces and their vicinities of the first abutment portions and/or the second abutment portions are formed of a resin material.

12. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the instruments have portions adapted to abut on at least a part of the interspinous spacer, and at least a part of the portions of the instruments is formed of a resin material.

13. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the resin material is mainly formed of a polyamide resin.

14. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 1 , further including a removal instrument to remove the insertion instrument from the hollow portion of the interspinous spacer.

15. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the removal instrument includes a pair of arm members each having a manipulating portion at the proximal end thereof and a clamp portion at the distal end thereof to clamp the support portion of the insertion instrument which has been inserted into the hollow portion of the interspinous spacer, in which the arm members are rotatably coupled at a pivotal point.

16. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 15 , wherein each of the clamp portions has a surface, and the surface and its vicinity of each clamp portion is formed of a resin material.

17. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the resin material is mainly formed of a polyamide resin.

18. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the clamp portions form a shape corresponding to the shape of the support portion of the insertion instrument.

19. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the appearance of the manipulating portion of the grasping instrument and the appearance of the manipulating portion of the removal instrument are different from each other.

20. The surgical instruments as claimed in claim 15 , wherein each of the instruments can be identified with its manipulating portion.