US Patent 8986384 Method for stabilizing spine

A method of stabilizing a portion of a spine includes pivoting first and second members of an expandable spinal implant relative to one another to a closed configuration in which the spinal implant has a compact profile, inserting the spinal implant in the closed configuration into the spine between first and second vertebral bodies, and pivoting and locking the first and second members crosswise to an expanded configuration while the spinal implant is within the spine. The first and second members are separate from and coupled to one another.