Patent ID: 8021401

Claim:
A method for stabilizing adjacent segments of a mammalian bone, comprising the steps of: forming a through aperture in each of the adjacent bone segments; providing an arcuate implant member (a) having a length that is sufficient so the arcuate implant member extends between the two adjacent bone segments, (b) having a cross-section sized so that portions of the arcuate implant member including ends thereof extend through the preformed aperture that is formed in each of the two adjacent bone segments, and (c) being configured so that the arcuate implant member lies in a plane as it extends between the adjacent bone segments and as the portions thereof extend through the preformed apertures; implanting the provided arcuate fixation member so that (i) it extends between the adjacent bone segments, and (ii) so that the portions of the arcuate fixation member including ends thereof extend through the preformed apertures in each of the adjacent bone segments; and wherein the apertures formed in each of the two bone segments define an arcuate path in the plane and wherein the provided arcuate implant member is further configured so as to correspond to the arcuate path defined by the apertures.