Patent ID: 8777997

Claim:
A minimally invasive method of fixing first and second vertebrae of a patient together at a surgical site, the method comprising: providing fixation elements including at least first and second fasteners configured to be secured to the first and second vertebrae, respectively, and a plate configured to connect the first and second fasteners; inserting an access device to the surgical site; removing at least a portion of a disk from between the first and second vertebrae through the access device; inserting at least one implant through the access device and positioning the at least one implant between the first and second vertebrae; inserting the first and second fasteners through the access device to the surgical site and securing the first and second fasteners to the first and second vertebrae, respectively; inserting the plate through the access device and positioning the plate with the first and second fasteners extending through openings in the plate; and inserting first and second locking members through the access device and threading the locking members onto the first and second fasteners, such that the first and second fasteners are secured to the first and second vertebrae, respectively, and the plate connects the first and second fasteners.