Patent ID: 8083743

Claim:
A system for effecting fusion of the human cranio-cervical junction, comprising: a bone material based member capable of being positioned so as to facilitate fusion of a first portion thereof to a human cranium and a second portion thereof to a cervical vertebral body; a plate member, wherein the plate member comprises: a plate surface adapted to be secured to the human cranium; and a concave flange forming a pocket when secured to the cranium and defined in said plate member, wherein said flange comprises: a perimeter, wherein the perimeter is formed by a free outer flange edge and wherein the entire remainder of said perimeter is directly connected to the plate member; an inner flange surface; and a graft accommodation space between the inner flange surface and the cranium when the plate member has been secured to the cranium, a boundary of said graft accommodation space being defined by said entire remainder of said perimeter and by said free outer flange edge that is elevated with respect to a portion of said plate surface that is adapted to contact the cranium so that said graft accommodation space is open to a space outside of said graft accommodation space, wherein said graft accommodation space is a substantially enclosed cavity that receives and is capable of applying a compressive pressure to said first portion of said bone material based member against the cranium; and a transverse connector plate that is positioned over and arranged to compress said second portion of said bone material based member when secured to a vertebral body; and wherein said bone material based member is bent.