Paragraph Number

160

FIG. 8A illustrates a bone probe 216 having a distal end that comes to a sharp point and is connected to and/or formed with the shaft 210. The sharp point facilitates the bone probe 216 remaining in contact with the cortical bone as an orientation angle is determined. The bone probe 216 may include a plurality of tap threads on the external surface of the bone probe 216. The tap threads can be configured to cut internal threads into a preformed opening in bone such that rotation of the bone probe 216 can form internal threads in the bone. Alternatively, or in addition, the tap threads can be configured to cut internal threads and also form an opening in bone such that rotation of the bone probe 216 can form internal threads in a passage in the bone. In this manner, a surgeon may rotate the bone probe 216 either manually or with a powered driver to form internal threads for a fixation device, such as a pedicle screw.

Added by DJM 1 2022