Patent ID: 8920478

Claim:
A method for stabilizing a vertebral column comprising: disposing an elongate plate in an intervertebral space of a patient, the plate having a distal end and a proximal end, the plate comprising a first elongate channel extending along at least a portion of the plate between the distal end and the proximal end, wherein the first elongate channel has an interior surface, at least a portion of the interior surface comprising a plurality of channel grooves; a second elongate channel being substantially parallel to the first elongate channel and extending along at least a portion of the plate between the distal end and the proximal end, wherein the second elongate channel has an interior surface, at least a portion of the interior surface comprising a plurality of channel grooves; placing a first attachment cross-link on the plate, the first attachment cross-link having a first aperture and a second aperture and wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the first attachment cross-link comprises a plurality of attachment grooves; cooperatively engaging at least a portion of the plurality of channel grooves of the interior surface of the first elongate channel with at least a portion of the plurality of attachment grooves of the outer surface of the first attachment cross-link; and attaching the first attachment cross-link to a vertebrae with fasteners, wherein the attaching further comprises aligning the first and second apertures with the first and second elongate channels respectively and passing the fasteners through at least one of the first and second apertures and at least one of the first and second elongate channels to secure the plate to the vertebrae.