Patent ID: 8157865

Claim:
An apparatus for stabilizing first and second adjacent bone portions, the apparatus comprising: a spacer configured to be placed between the first and second bone portions; and at least one stabilizer configured to be joined: a) to each of the first bone portion and the spacer; and b) to at least one of the first bone portion and spacer by being translated along a first line relative to the at least one of the first bone portion and spacer, the at least one stabilizer comprising first and second walls that are fixedly connected to each other and respectively define first and second surfaces that face each other, whereby a part of each of the spacer and first bone portion can be located captively between the first and second surfaces so that the parts of the spacer and first bone are confined by the first and second surfaces against movement away from each other and transversely to the first line by the first and second surfaces with the stabilizer joined to each of the spacer and first bone portion.