Patent ID: 7678113

Claim:
A method for securing a plate to at least two vertebrae of a patient, comprising: accessing the vertebrae from a direct anterior approach along an axis that is parallel to a sagittal plane of the patient; forming a bore in each of the at least two vertebrae, wherein each bore extends into a respective one of the at least two vertebrae in an oblique orientation toward the sagittal plane; positioning a plate antero-laterally along the at least two vertebrae from the direct anterior approach on a first side of the sagittal plane of the patient after forming the bore in each of the at least two vertebrae, and before the positioning the plate includes anchor members pre-attached thereto adjacent a lateral side of the plate extending from a lower surface thereof and a pair of holes extending therethrough adjacent a medial side of the plate opposite the lateral side; inserting the anchor members into the bores formed in the vertebrae to the first side of the sagittal plane and moving the anchor members into the bores in the oblique orientation toward the sagittal plane as the plate is moved toward the at least two vertebrae; and positioning bone fasteners through the pair of holes of the plate adjacent the medial side of the plate generally parallel to the axis that is parallel to the sagittal plane to secure the plate to the at least two vertebrae so that an axis of each bone fastener intersects an axis of a respective one of the anchor members.