Patent ID: 8870957

Claim:
A method for stabilizing a bony segment pair, comprising inserting a horizontally elongate element between the bony segment pair, the horizontally elongate element having a long horizontal axis, a front, a top surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, a bottom surface, and a rear, the element having a length from the front to the rear and a width from the first side to the second side, the elongate element defining: a central opening extending from the top to the bottom, the central opening having a length and a width, the central opening length greater than half the element length and the central opening width greater than one-third the element width; a plurality of partial depth surface openings each of a 0.25 mm diameter on the top surface; and a plurality of partial depth surface openings each of a 0.25 mm diameter on the bottom surface; a plurality of partial and full depth surface openings each of a 0.25 mm diameter on the first side surface; a plurality of partial and full depth surface openings each of a 0.25 mm diameter on the second side surface; and each of the plurality of the partial depth surface openings having a length less than one-tenth the central opening length and a width less than one-fifth the central opening width, and wherein each partial depth surface opening does not penetrate entirely therethrough to their respective opposite surface and the full depth surface openings on each first or second side does penetrate entirely therethrough to their respective opposite surface extending to the central opening, each partial or full depth surface opening is spaced 1.25 mm vertically and horizontally from each adjacent surface opening and wherein one of a bone growth activator and a bio-active element is embedded in each of the plurality of the partial and full depth surface openings.