Anterior cervical plate assembly

An anterior cervical plate assembly comprising:

• a base plate including:
• four bone screw seats, each bone screw seat including a borehole dimensioned to receive a bone screw, each borehole defining a central axis that is (a) angled relative to a central lateral axis of the base plate at a first angle and (b) angled relative to a central longitudinal axis at a second angle, wherein the first angle is at least 25 degrees, and the second angle is at least 6 degrees;
• and
• two retention slots, each retention slot being positioned between a pair of the four bone screw seats;
• and
• two blocking mechanisms, each blocking mechanism including a biasing element arranged between a first blocking element and a second blocking element, wherein the first blocking element is configured to obstruct a first bone screw seat of the four bone screw seats, and the second blocking element is configured to obstruct a second bone screw seat of the four bone screw seats, wherein the first blocking element and the second blocking element are independently positionable from each other, and wherein the first blocking element and the second blocking element define a housing cavity which is dimensioned to house a portion of the biasing element;
• each blocking mechanism is retained within a respective one of the two retention slots, the blocking mechanisms are selectively positionable between a closed position in which the blocking mechanism obstructs at least one bone screw seat to retain a bone screw with the base plate, and an open position in which the bone screw seats are unobstructed.

A plate assembly comprising:

• a base plate including:
• four bone screw seats, each bone screw seat including a borehole dimensioned to receive a bone screw, each borehole defining a central axis that is (a) angled relative to a central lateral axis of the base plate at a first angle and (b) angled relative to a central longitudinal axis at a second angle;
• and
• two retention slots, each retention slot being positioned between a pair of the four bone screw seats;
• and
• two blocking mechanisms, each blocking mechanism is retained within a respective one of the two retentions slots, and each blocking mechanism includes a biasing element arranged between a first blocking element and a second blocking element such that the first blocking element and the second blocking element are independently positionable from each other, wherein the first blocking element and the second blocking element define a housing cavity which is dimensioned to house a portion of the biasing element,
• wherein (a) when the biasing element is in an expanded state then the first blocking element obstructs a first bone screw seat of the four bone screw seats, and the second blocking element obstructs a second bone screw seat of the four bone screw seats, and (b) when the biasing element is in a compressed state then the first blocking element and the second blocking element are positioned away from the bone screw seats and the bone screw seats are unobstructed.