Patent ID: 8932360
Filing Date: 2015-01-13
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
1. An implant for positioning in a motion segment between a cephalad vertebra and caudal vertebra, the implant comprising: a trailing edge portion that may be engaged by an implant movement tool; the trailing edge portion includes: a leading edge portion on an opposite side of the implant from the trailing edge portion; a first connecting wall connecting the leading edge portion to the trailing edge portion; a second connecting wall with a height greater than the first connecting wall connecting the leading edge portion to the trailing edge portion, the leading edge portion, trailing edge portion, and first and second connecting walls forming a perimeter frame around a fusion cavity; a first vertebral side; a second vertebral side; and the leading edge portion having a leading vertical face, which is a small end of a quadrilateral pyramidal frusta with rounded edges that extends a set of four sloped faces from the leading vertical face to the first connecting wall, second connecting wall, first vertebral side, and second vertebral side; wherein the quadrilateral pyramidal frusta for the leading edge portion has a leading edge of the sloped face of the first vertebral side that is not parallel to a leading edge of the sloped face for the second vertebral side; wherein the trailing edge portion has a trailing vertical face which is a small end of a quadrilateral pyramidal frusta with rounded edges that extends a set of four sloped faces from the trailing vertical face to the first connecting wall, second connecting wall, first vertebral, and second vertebral side; wherein the quadrilateral pyramidal frusta for the trailing edge portion has a trailing edge of the sloped face of the first vertebral side that is not parallel to a trailing edge of the sloped face for the second vertebral side; wherein the first connecting wall is connected to the second connecting wall through the trailing edge portion, the leading edge portion, and at least one cross bar; and the implant is made from a material that is much less radio-opaque than a set of markers placed in the implant, including a marker in the at least one crossbar so that implant orientation may be discerned by fluoroscopy.