Patent ID: 7722652

Claim:
A connector to connect a vertebral member to a longitudinal member, the connector comprising: an anchor comprising a shaft and an anchor head; a body attached to the anchor and comprising a pair of arms that form a channel sized to receive the longitudinal member, a continuous sidewall opposite from the arms that extend around and form a cavity, and an intermediate barrier positioned between the channel and the cavity, the sidewall constructed as a unitary, one-piece member with a distal end positioned in closer proximity to a longitudinal axis of the body than an intermediate section of the sidewall to form a narrow inlet that captures the anchor head within the cavity; a fastener configured to maintain the longitudinal member in the channel; and the cavity sized to receive one of a first wear member and a second wear member, the first wear member positionable within the cavity and forming a first receiving area sized to accommodate the head of the anchor; the second wear member positionable within the cavity and forming a second receiving area sized to accommodate the head of the anchor; the first wear member producing a first resistance to pivoting of the anchor relative to the body when the first wear member is positioned in the cavity, the second wear member producing a second resistance to pivoting of the anchor relative to the body when the second wear member is positioned in the cavity, each of the wear members being movable relative to the barrier; the cavity being isolated from the channel by the barrier that physically separates the channel from the cavity and separates the longitudinal member from the cavity when the fastener maintains the longitudinal member in the channel.