Percutaneous discectomy kit and method

1. A kit for performing percutaneous spinal interbody fusion, the kit comprising:

a neuro-monitoring dilating probe;

a second dilator configured to be placed over the neuro-monitoring dilating probe;

a tissue removal tool;

an access portal comprising an adjustable depth stop; and

a discectomy verification device.

2. The kit of claim 1 , wherein the tissue removal tool comprises a tissue shaper, an articulating curette, or both the tissue shaper and the articulating curette.

3. The kit of claim 1 , further including a force dissipation device.

4. A method of performing percutaneous spinal interbody fusion on a spine of a patient, the method comprising:

inserting without direct visualization a neuro-monitoring dilating probe into the patient;

advancing the neuro-monitoring dilating probe into a disc space;

passing a second dilator over the neuro-monitoring dilating probe; and

advancing the second dilator into the disc space.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising placing an access portal into the disc space.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising placing a force dissipation device over the second dilator, wherein the access portal is placed through an access portal lock of the force dissipation device.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising placing an impactor over the second dilator; and impacting the impactor until a distal tip of the access portal is penetrated into the disc space.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising removing the second dilator using the dilator impactor.

9. The method of claim 4 , further comprising advancing a drill through the access portal until the drill contacts an access portal stop surface of an adjustable stop of the access portal.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising passing a shaper through the access portal and removing material from the disc space.

11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising adjusting a depth stop of the access portal to define a permissible depth that a surgical instrument can penetrate into the patient.

12. The method of claim 5 , further comprising removing tissue from the patient using an articulating curette.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of removing tissue from the patient using an articulating curette comprises:

pivoting a cutting head of the articulating curette in a first rotational direction to remove tissue from the patient; and

rotating a main shaft of the articulating curette with respect to a handle assembly of the articulating curette so that the cutting head will be inverted and rotate in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to remove tissue from the patient.

14. The method of claim 5 , further comprising inflating an expandable device of a discectomy verification device with contrast medium when the expandable device is located inside of the disc space.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, when the expandable device is inflated with the contrast medium inside of the disc space, performing indirect visualization imaging of the disc space to view a size and a shape of the disc cavity.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining a depth of insertion of the discectomy verification device by comparing a visual marking on the discectomy verification device to a depth stop of the access portal.

17. The method of claim 4 , further comprising placing an implant in a prepared cavity in the disc space via a percutaneous implant guide.

18. The method of claim 4 , further comprising performing neuro-monitoring via the neuro-monitoring dilating probe.