Patent ID: 8133263

Claim:
A connector for an implantable system used in treating at least one of bone deformities and bone injuries comprising: a base including a channel extending therethrough to receive a fixation rod; a hook extending from the base; a guide aperture adapted to receive a bone fastener, the guide aperture extending obliquely through one of the base and the hook; and a locking portion adapted to lockingly engage the bone fastener, the locking portion being located in another one of the base and the hook, the locking portion being coaxial with the guide aperture such that the guide aperture guides a shaft of the bone fastener into alignment with the locking portion when the bone fastener is received by the guide aperture, wherein the connector and the bone fastener lockingly engage to form a closed loop such that the connector is placed in compression and the bone fastener is placed in tension, and wherein the locking portion extends obliquely into another one of the base and the hook.