| abstract |
A surgical tool and method is provided for connecting a dynamic vertical rod to a dynamic bone anchor. The tool has an internal shaft and an external sleeve arranged coaxially. The shaft can be turned relative to the sleeve. The sleeve has a head which engages the ball of a dynamic vertical rod. The shaft has a head which engages the deflectable post of the dynamic bone anchor. The tool is designed to turn the ball relative to the post securing the ball to the post. Optionally the post has a breakaway portion and the tool provided sufficient torque to remove the breakaway portion and also includes a mechanism for securing and retrieving the breakaway portion. The connection tool is sized to fit through a cannula to the operative site to allow minimally invasive implantation of the dynamic bone anchor. |