INSTRUMENTS FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES

Providing a model of a surgical canal of a patient, the surgical canal including a surgical entry point, a supporting tissue region, a soft tissue region, and a surgical target, wherein the surgical canal has a curvature. A surgical tool having a body, a control end, and a distal end, the body shaped and sized for insertion past a sacral hiatus into a spinal canal of a patient, and a compound curve in the body of the surgical tool, the compound curve including at least a first bend positioned to provide a point of contact between the surgical tool and a supporting tissue region of the spinal canal when a distal tip of the distal end is positioned for a procedure on a surgical target within the spinal canal, thereby providing mechanical support for a position of the distal tip, and the compound curve including a second bend positioned to direct the distal tip toward the surgical target. L'invention concerne une variété d'outils et de techniques pour assister l'ablation du ligament jaune dans un canal rachidien et d'autres interventions similaires d'ablation de tissus.