| abstract |
A secondary cover plate that contacts a stand-alone fusion cage without rigidly connecting to the cage, and instead only docks against the cage (or passes through a fixation cage) and is secured into the adjacent bone. The secondary cover plate is the last item that would be added to the fixation cage construct and would at least partially cover the head of one or more angled screws. The secondary cover plate could slidably engage the fixation cage without permanently snapping into any features of the cage itself. The secondary cover plate would then be final positioned by advancing into one or more adjacent vertebral bodies. The secondary cover plate advancing step could be achieved by tapping it into place (into bone) or rotating it into place (into bone) so that it is finally secured into the bone. |