Abstract: A spacer-insertion instrument for delivering a spacer to a spine is disclosed. The instrument includes a handle portion and a guide coupled to the handle portion. The instrument further includes a shaft coupled to the handle portion and extending along the guide. The instrument further includes a tip including an attachment end portion coupled to the shaft and opposing fingers movable relative to one another and adapted to grasp the spacer when the shaft is moved to actuate the fingers. The handle portion includes a grip and a trigger coupled to the grip and to the shaft and movement of the trigger toward the grip causes the fingers to move toward one another. A method for delivering a vertebral body spacer to a disc space formed in a spine between adjacent vertebral bodies is also disclosed.

Abstract: A set of interlaminar clamps of specific and improved shapes provides a better fit to clamp together any two adjacent cervical laminae in the range from C1 to C7. These clamps are called Moskovich clamps, and their distinctive shapes are called Moskovich Curves. A method is also presented to manufacture similar cervical clamps for improved fit to clamp together any two adjacent cervical laminae throughout the entire back. This method is called the Moskovich Method. Morphometric data was taken for a large number of C1 through C7 laminae. Average shapes were then computed from this data for the C1 through C7 laminae. A small number of clamp shapes were then calculated that would fit these average cervical shapes. It was found that only a small number of clamp shapes were needed for clamps for the C1 through C7 range, and that these clamp shapes were different from what was available on the market in the prior art clamps.

Abstract: The present invention provides a set of interlaminar clamps of specific and improved shapes to provide better fit to clamp together any two adjacent cervical laminae in the range from C1 to C7. These clamps are called Moskovich clamps, and their distinctive shapes are called Moskovich Curves. A method is also presented to manufacture similar cervical clamps for improved fit to clamp together any two adjacent cervical laminae throughout the entire back. This method is called the Moskovich Method. Morphometric data was taken for a large number of C1 through C7 laminae. Average shapes were then computed from this data for the C1 through C7 laminae. A small number of clamp shapes were then calculated that would fit these average cervical shapes. It was found that only a small number of clamp shapes were needed for clamps for the C1 through C7 range, and that these clamp shapes were different from what was available on the market in the prior art clamps.

Abstract: The Moskovich facilitator facilitates the insertion of bone grafts between two vertebrae. The invention has two flat tong-like guides that distract the vertebrae as the graft slides between the two guides towards the vertebrae. The two guides have grooved surfaces to keep the graft from rotating or from slipping laterally. The two guides each have a lip to keep them from slipping too far in between the vertebrae. The two guides can be combined by an elbow piece into one part. The elbow is offset to permit impacting the graft directly on the angle of the axes of the guides. The two guides each have a notch, and the two notches hold an inserter/extractor. The screw-type inserter/extractor slowly rams the graft in between the vertebrae without impact, and slowly extracts the guides after the graft is seated.