Patent ID: 8361074

Claim:
A surgical plate system adapted to be sequentially secured with vertebrae of a backbone for stabilizing said vertebrae comprising: (a) a generally H-shaped surgical plate including: a pair of legs extending on opposing sides of said surgical plate between upper and lower ends of said plate; said pair of legs being spaced apart at said upper and lower ends of said surgical plate, and contoured open bays formed between said spaced apart legs; channels opening into said bays at said upper and lower ends of said surgical plate, said channels being reduced in width relative to said bays; (b) a generally Y-shaped surgical connector plate including: a pair of spaced legs converging into a tingle leg; said pair of legs being spaced apart at first end of said connector plate, and a contoured open bay formed between said spaced apart legs at said first end; said single leg having a neck adjoining said spaced legs and terminating an outer head at a second end of said Y-shaped connector plate, and said head shaped to fit within one of said surgical plate bays and said connector plate bay; and a channel formed between said spaced legs at said first end of said Y-shaped connector plate, said channel being reduced in width relative to said bay; (c) said surgical plate being adapted to be positioned over and secured with first and second adjacent ones of said vertebrae; (d) said Y-shaped connector plate being adapted to have said head and neck positioned in a selected one of said surgical plate bays and channels, and being attached to a selected one of said first and second vertebrae with said connector plate legs positioned over a third adjacent vertebra; (e) said bays and channels of said surgical plate being of a width sufficient to define a gap which allows lateral movement between said neck and head of said connector plate and said surgical plate channels and bays for angular adjustment; whereby said plate may be angularly adjustable by lateral movement so that said connector plate can be aligned with the longitudinal axis of said backbone prior to being secured with said third and selected vertebrae.