Patent 11647998 was granted and assigned to K2M on May, 2023 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for dilating tissue for placement of a pedicle screw without the use of guide wires. The tissue dilation system includes, generally, a stylet and trocar which are used for the initial placement of the tissue dilation system. A second dilator is passed over the first. A second dilator is passed over the first dilator, and further includes a serrated edge for engaging with a target surface. The second dilator may be secured to the target surface by the serrated edge alone, or may additional be secured using one or more temporary fixation pins, which operably couple to the second dilator.