MIS access port and methods of using

1. An access port configured and dimensioned for use in minimally invasive surgery, said access port comprising:

a rigid, elongate, tubular main body portion;

a ring portion at a proximal end of said main body portion; and

a slot extending over a length of said main body portion in a lengthwise direction;

wherein said slot has a length and a width and extends through a wall of said main body portion, from an outside surface of said main body portion to an inside surface of said main body portion, and wherein said slot extends over a full length of said main body portion;

wherein said width is substantially constant over at least a third of said length of said slot;

wherein said slot extends through said wall at said proximal end of said main body portion and extends through a wall of said ring portion, so that said slot opens from inside said main body portion to outside of said ring portion, said slot being open through proximal and distal ends of said ring portion; and

wherein said access port is open at distal and proximal ends thereof;

wherein said slot is tapered such that said slot has a first width along a proximal portion thereof and a second width along a distal portion thereof, with an intermediate portion substantially centered along a length of said main body that tapers from said first width to said second width wherein said first width is greater than said second width, wherein said first width is constant over an entire length of said proximal portion and said second width is constant over an entire length of said second portion;

and wherein said slot extends over a full length of said ring portion.

2. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said slot allows an instrument inserted into said main body portion to be angled relative to a longitudinal axis of said main body portion by an angle greater than thirty degrees.

3. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said slot extends a full length of said main body portion, from said proximal end of said main body portion to a distal end of said main body portion.

4. The access port of claim 1 , further comprising a connector configured to fix at least a portion of said access port to a stationary object, wherein said connector is rigidly fixed to and extends from said ring portion.

5. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said ring portion is integral with said main body portion.

6. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said main body portion has a first outside diameter and said ring portion has a second outside diameter, and wherein said second outside diameter is greater than said first outside diameter.

7. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said main body portion is rotatable relative to said ring portion, about a longitudinal axis of said main body portion.

8. The access port of claim 7 , wherein said slot is a first slot, and wherein said ring portion comprises a second slot that aligns with said first slot when said ring portion is mounted on said main body portion.

9. The access port of claim 8 , wherein said first slot has a first width and said second slot has a second width, wherein said second width is greater than said first width to allow said second slot to remain aligned with said first slot upon rotation of said main body portion relative to said ring portion.

10. The access port of claim 4 , wherein said connector is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of said main body portion.

11. The access port of claim 4 , wherein a longitudinal axis of said connector is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said main body portion.

12. The access port of claim 1 , wherein a distal end portion of said main body is tapered, so that an outside diameter of said distal end portion decreases in a direction from proximal to distal.

13. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said main body portion comprises a groove extending circumferentially in an outer surface of a proximal end portion of said main body portion;

wherein said ring portion comprises a ledge extending radially inward from an inner surface of said ring portion; and

wherein said ledge mates with said groove upon mounting said ring portion to said main body portion.

14. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said main body portion comprises a groove extending circumferentially in an outer surface of a proximal end portion of said main body portion and at least one cutout in the outer surface extending to a proximal end of said main body and communicating with said groove;

wherein said ring portion comprises at least one tab extending radially inward from an inner surface of said ring portion, said at least one tab being configured and dimensioned to slide through said at least one cutout, respectively;

wherein, upon mounting said ring portion to said main body portion, said at least one tab passes through said at least one cutout and into said groove.

15. The access port of claim 1 , further comprising at least one lighting implement extending along at least a portion of said main body portion in an annulus of said main body portion; wherein said main body portion is open at a distal end thereof.

16. The access port of claim 4 , further comprising at least one light port extending from an outside surface of said access port to an inside surface of said access port; and

at least one lighting implement extending through said at least one light port and along at least a portion of said main body portion in an annulus of said main body portion.

17. The access port of claim 16 , wherein said at least one light port extends through said ring portion.

18. The access port of claim 1 , further comprising at least one longitudinally extending cutout in an inner wall of said main body portion; and

at least one light strip mounted in said at least one longitudinally extending cutout, respectively; wherein said main body portion is open at a distal end thereof.

19. The access port of claim 18 , wherein said at least one light strip is flush with said inner wall of said main body portion.

20. The access port of claim 18 , further comprising at least one slot extending through a wall of said main body portion and communicating with said at least one cutout, respectively, wherein said at least one slot is configured and dimensioned to allow said at least one light strip to be inserted therethrough and installed in said at least one cutout, respectively.

21. The access port of claim 1 , in combination with an instrument configured to extend through said access port, wherein said instrument includes a distal end portion and an elongate shaft extending proximally of said distal end portion, wherein said distal end portion is configured to be inserted through an open proximal end of said access port and advanced to extend distally of a distal end of said access port and wherein said shaft can be rotated about a transverse axis thereof to pass into said slot and to extend through said slot, to provide increased range of motion of said distal end portion of said instrument.

22. The access port of claim 1 , wherein said access port is configured and dimensioned for use in minimally invasive spine surgery.

23. The access port of claim 1 , further comprising a light guide assembly installed in a proximal end portion of said tubular main body portion,

wherein said light guide assembly comprises a fiber optic cable having optical fibers, said optical fibers being fanned out over an inner circumference of said proximal end portion to provide even lighting throughout a tubular opening of said tubular main body portion and a surgical target targeted by a distal end opening of said tubular opening.

24. The access port of claim 23 , wherein said light guide assembly further comprises a split compression ring, said optical fibers being adhered to said split compression ring and terminating at or proximal of a distal end of said split compression ring.

25. A method of performing minimally invasive surgery, said method comprising:

inserting an access port through the skin of a patient and positioning the access port adjacent or into a surgical target location, wherein the access port includes a rigid, elongate, tubular main body portion; a ring portion at a proximal end of said main body portion; and a slot extending over a length of said main body portion in a lengthwise direction; wherein said slot has a length and a width and extends through a wall of said main body portion, from an outside surface of said main body portion to an inside surface of said main body portion, and wherein said slot extends over a full length of said main body portion; wherein said width is substantially constant over at least a third of said length of said slot; wherein said slot extends through said wall at said proximal end of said main body portion and extends through a wall of said ring portion, so that said slot opens from inside said main body portion to outside of said ring portion, said slot being open through proximal and distal ends of said ring portion; and wherein said access port is open at distal and proximal ends thereof; wherein said slot is tapered such that said slot has a first width along a proximal portion thereof and a second width along a distal portion thereof, with an intermediate portion substantially centered along a length of said main body that tapers from said first width to said second width wherein said first width is greater than said second width, wherein said first width is constant over an entire length of said proximal portion and said second width is constant over an entire length of said second portion; and wherein said slot extends over a full length of said ring portion;

inserting an instrument through the access port such that a distal end portion of the instrument extends into the surgical target location; and

manipulating the instrument to pass a shaft portion of the instrument through at least a portion of the slot, wherein said instrument is manipulatable so as to angle said shaft relative to a longitudinal axis of said access port from a minimal angle of zero degrees to a maximum angle greater than thirty degrees and to any angle therebetween.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising fixing at least a portion of the access port to a stationary object.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the access port includes a ring portion at a proximal end portion thereof, the ring portion including a connector extending therefrom, wherein the ring portion is fixed to the stationary object by the connector.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the main body portion is rotatable relative to the ring portion, said method further comprising rotating the main body portion relative to the ring portion to further increase the range of motion of the instrument.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the surgical target location is in the spine of the patient.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the surgical target location is an intervertebral disk space.

31. An access port configured and dimensioned for use in minimally invasive surgery in combination with an instrument configured to extend through said access port;

said access port comprising:

a rigid, elongate, tubular main body portion;

a ring portion at a proximal end of said main body portion; and

a slot extending over a length of said main body portion in a lengthwise direction;

wherein said slot has a length and a width and extends through a wall of said main body portion, from an outside surface of said main body portion to an inside surface of said main body portion, and wherein said slot extends over a full length of said main body portion;

wherein said width is substantially constant over at least a third of said length of said slot;

wherein said slot extends through said wall at said proximal end of said main body portion and extends through a wall of said ring portion, so that said slot opens from inside said main body portion to outside of said ring portion, said slot being open through proximal and distal ends of said ring portion; and

wherein said access port is open at distal and proximal ends thereof; and

wherein said instrument includes a distal end portion and an elongate shaft extending proximally of said distal end portion, wherein said distal end portion-is configured to be inserted through an open proximal end of said access port and advanced to extend distally of a distal end of said access port and wherein said shaft can be rotated about a transverse axis thereof to pass into said slot and to extend through said slot, to provide increased range of motion of said distal end portion of said instrument.

32. An access port configured and dimensioned for use in minimally invasive surgery, said access port comprising:

a rigid, elongate, tubular main body portion;

a ring portion at a proximal end of said main body portion; and

a slot extending over a length of said main body portion in a lengthwise direction;

wherein said slot has a length and a width and extends through a wall of said main body portion, from an outside surface of said main body portion to an inside surface of said main body portion, and wherein said slot extends over a full length of said main body portion;

wherein said width is substantially constant over at least a third of said length of said slot;

wherein said slot extends through said wall at said proximal end of said main body portion and extends through a wall of said ring portion, so that said slot opens from inside said main body portion to outside of said ring portion, said slot being open through proximal and distal ends of said ring portion; and

wherein said access port is open at distal and proximal ends thereof;

said access port further comprising a light guide assembly installed in a proximal end portion of said tubular main body portion;

wherein said light guide assembly comprises a fiber optic cable having optical fibers, said optical fibers being fanned out over an inner circumference of said proximal end portion to provide even lighting throughout a tubular opening of said tubular main body portion and a surgical target targeted by a distal end opening of said tubular opening; and

wherein said light guide assembly further comprises a split compression ring, said optical fibers being adhered to said split compression ring and terminating at or proximal of a distal end of said split compression ring.