Vertebral distraction stabilizer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device and a method to prepare the flat surfaces on the intervertebral end plates to receive a cylindrical implant.
This device comprises a distractor, a flange, a series of guide tubes, attachment screws and tools.
The distractor is positioned between the vertebral end plates and produces spreading or distraction of the vertebrae.
This distraction will assure that the disc space height will be restored.
The disc need not be removed before distraction.
The distractor will remove a portion of the disc, a reamer means will later remove the remaining portion of the disc that would interfere with the thread tap and dowel insertion.
Once the vertebrae are spread, the flange is placed over the distractor shaft and on to the distractor-centering disc.
This disc will insure that the flange is concentric with the distractor.
When the flange is in place, attachments screws are placed through the holes in the flange tabs and into the adjacent vertebrae to maintain rigid vertebral spacing while the tooling and implant are in use.
The tube assures that the tools will be centered on and parallel to the vertebral end plates and remain fixed during the procedure.
This in turn can facilitate removal of an appropriate amount of bone or cartilage material from each adjacent vertebra.
The implant can then be inserted through the flange.
A length stop is used to set the depths of each tool.
After the machining is completed the implant can be guided through the tube and be contained in place with a holding means, preferably a screw thread.
These machining and dowel insertion operations are well known to those skilled in the art.