Patent ID: 7575588

Claim:
An occipital plating system, comprising: a plate extending along a longitudinal axis and including a bottom surface profile adapted for positioning along the medial nuchal line of the occiput and an opposite top surface, said plate including a length along the longitudinal axis between a cephalad end and a caudal end; at least one coupling member extending from said plate and offset laterally of the longitudinal axis of said plate, said at least one coupling member including a bottom wall and a pair of lateral walls extending from said bottom wall and along opposite sides of an elongated passage extending along a portion of said length of said plate to receive a cephalad end of an elongated connecting element in said passage, said pair of lateral walls defining a top surface of said coupling member opposite said bottom wall and said passage opens along said top surface of said coupling member between said lateral walls, said coupling member further including at least two receptacles along said passage with said pair of lateral walls each extending from said bottom wall to said top surface of said coupling member from one receptacle of said two receptacles to the other receptacle of said two receptacles of said coupling member, said at least two receptacles opening at said top surface of said coupling member in communication with said passage wherein said at least one coupling member forms a lateral extension of said plate along an adjacent lateral side of said plate, said at least one coupling member further extending caudally along said longitudinal axis from said daudal end of said plate; and a pair of fasteners engaged in respective ones of said at least two receptacles in contact with said cephalad end of said connecting element to secure said cephalad end of said connecting element between said pair of fasteners and said coupling member.