Abstract: A spinal retractor for use in lumbar or dorsal laminectomies or spinal fusions, and for microscopic lumbar laminectomies, which comprises a pair of parallel arms and a corresponding pair of toothed blades which are slidably received on the arms, the blades being forced apart from one another by the arms under the control of a rack and pinion mechanism. The blades are constructed so that their teeth and configuration serve to hold the lumbar musculature when they are forced apart and adequately to expose the facets, and the blades are also configured so that they will not slip out of the wound as they are spread apart by the retractor arms.

Abstract: An operating table intended specifically for microscopic lumbar laminectomy surgery by which the patient is properly positioned for the surgery in a matter of minutes, and which serves to hold the patient in the proper flexed position during the surgical procedure.