Patent ID: 7144396

Claim:
An apparatus for connecting a longitudinal member with a bone portion, comprising: a fastener having a longitudinal axis and engageable with the bone portion; a housing having a passage with a first transverse dimension, said fastener extending through an opening in said housing into said passage and being movable relative to said housing, said longitudinal axis of said fastener being positionable in any one of a plurality of angular positions relative to a longitudinal axis of said passage; a spacer received in said passage of said housing and engageable with said fastener, the spacer having a radial surface having a transverse dimension smaller than said first transverse dimension of said passage in the housing; a retaining structure having a second transverse dimension greater than the first transverse dimension, the retaining structure being press-fit into the passage, the retaining structure and the passage being deformable relative to one another to adjust the distance between said retaining structure and the radial surface of the spacer; and a ring-shaped positioning member positioned between the retaining structure and the spacer, said positioning member configured to apply an adjustable force to the radial surface of the spacer to prevent relative movement between said fastener and said housing when said spacer engages said fastener, the force being adjustable by the distance between the retaining structure and the radial surface.