Patent attributes
The present invention discloses a ball probe ultrasonic bone removal device that is designed to assist surgeons with foraminotomy procedures. The device comprises a shaft at a first end of the device and a spherical ball tip at a second end of the device. In between the shaft and the ball tip is a foot piece that connects to the shaft through an angle. On the foot piece, serrations or a coarse surface cover a portion of the circumference of the foot piece. In some embodiments, serrations or a coarse surface may also cover a portion of the circumference of the shaft. The spherical ball tip is smooth and designed to cause no damage to the sensitive nerves and tissue in the intervertebral foramina, but the surface with the serrations or the coarse protrusions are designed to remove bone and tissue under ultrasonic movement (e.g., vertical vibration, rotational oscillation).