Patent ID: 8012182

Claim:
A connecting member for maintaining the spacing between at least two anchor members screwed into vertebrae, the connecting member comprising: a flexible part comprising a first branch and a second branch defining a median plane, wherein the first branch and second branch are symmetrically spaced about a longitudinal axis of said connecting member, wherein a first end of the first branch and a first end of the second branch are interconnected to form a first end of the flexible part, and wherein a second end of the first branch and a second end of the second branch are interconnected to form a second end of the flexible part; and a first rigid rod forming part and a second rigid rod forming part, wherein the first rigid rod forming part extends from the first end of the flexible part and the second rigid rod forming part extends from the second end of the flexible part, wherein the first rigid rod forming part and second rigid rod forming part extend in opposite directions along the longitudinal axis and wherein the first rigid rod forming part and second rigid rod forming part each have a portion adapted to be secured in a rod receiving head portion of an anchor member; wherein said first and second branches of said flexible part have portions parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis of said connecting member, a distance between said parallel portions being at least equal to a length of said parallel portions; wherein the cross-section of each of said first and second branches is less than the cross-section of each of said first and second rigid rod-forming parts so that said connecting member is able to bend elastically, on relative movement of the vertebrae, about an axis lying in the median plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis when said connecting member is implanted in a human body with the first and second rigid rod-forming parts secured in the rod receiving head portions of corresponding anchor members; and wherein the connecting member is adapted to be implanted in the human body as a portion of a spinal stabilization system.