Abstract: A method of performing percutaneous interbody spinal fusion on adjacent vertebrae in a patient including the steps of: creating an access opening on the patient, the access opening being less than 10 mm wide, using indirect visualization: establishing a surgical path through the access opening via neural monitoring, creating a cavity in a disc space between the adjacent vertebra, evaluating the created cavity, inserting a container sized and configured to fit through the less than 10 mm access opening into the cavity and filling the container with fill material.

Abstract: The present invention provides method and apparatus that may be patient mounted for surgical retraction. The retractor disclosed herein may be positioned with a base plate resting against the patient's skin surface. In one embodiment, retractor blades extending into the patient's body from the base plate of the retractor device may be adapted to be inserted in a closed position for minimally invasive access, and adapted to be moved away from each other in a controlled fashion to create the desired surgical retraction of soft tissue. Because the blades are inserted in a closed position, the skin incision is small compared to the available exposure of nerves and delicate tissue.

Abstract: An anchorless non-invasive force dissipation device for orthopedic instrumentation including a base having a patient contacting surface, the patient contacting surface including a surface area adapted for external placement on a patient's body, and an instrument alignment mechanism operably connected to and selectively positionable relative to the base, the instrument alignment mechanism adapted to interface with at least one orthopedic instrument, such that forces applied by the orthopedic instrument are dissipated across the surface area of the base with the device being unanchored externally of the patient.