Patent ID: 8007537

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an implant having a central portion, a distal end portion, and a proximal portion disposed generally opposite the distal end portion relative to the central portion; at least a portion of the central portion configured to be disposed between a pair of adjacent spinous processes of a human spine; the proximal portion having a flange extending outward beyond the central portion; a retention member rotatably coupled to the distal end portion of the implant and configured to rotate about a first axis between a first position and a second position; the retention member having a cross-sectional area projected on to a plane orthogonal to the first axis, the cross-sectional area of the retention member being within a cross-sectional area of the distal end portion of the implant projected on to a plane orthogonal to the first axis when the retention member is in the first position, the retention member configured to limit lateral movement of the implant relative to the pair of adjacent spinous processes when in the second position; wherein the implant, including the central, distal, and proximal portions, is configured to be surgically implanted in a human spine such that the central portion is disposed between adjacent spinous processes and extends through a sagittal plane defined by the spinous processes with the flange disposed on one lateral side of the spinous processes and the retention member in its second position is disposed on a second lateral side of the spinous processes a rotatable member configured to move the retention member from the first position and the second position, the first axis being non-parallel to a second axis substantially lateral to the pair of adjacent spinous processes when the portion of the central portion is disposed between the pair of adjacent spinous processes.