Patent ID: 7651497
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: A61B,A61F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A plate for aligning and maintaining bone portions of the same bone or of different bones in a selected spatial relationship for healing or fusion of the bone portions, said plate comprising: a mid-longitudinal axis, a length sufficient to span at least two bone portions, and a width transverse to the length, said plate having an upper surface, a lower surface for placement against the bone portions, and a maximum thickness between said upper surface and said lower surface; a plurality of bone screw receiving holes extending through said plate from said upper surface to said lower surface, each of said bone screw receiving holes having a central longitudinal axis and being adapted to receive at least a portion of a bone screw therein; a scoring on said upper surface of said plate defining at least one segmentation zone, said scoring having a depth, the depth of said scoring being less than the maximum thickness of said plate, said segmentation zone permitting said plate to be separated along a path predetermined by said scoring across the width of said plate to form at least two plate segments, said path being at least in part non-linear, at least one of said plate segments having an edge along said segmentation zone suitable for surgical implantation when separated along said segmentation zone; and at least one locking element adapted to lock to said plate at least one of the bone screws receivable in one of said bone screw receiving holes.