Patent ID: 7530991

Claim:
A vertebral body distance retainer, comprising: a retainer member including engaging portions that engage a pair of rods, the retainer member comprising generally parallel side surfaces having abutting portions provided with sharp blades projecting in opposite directions from each generally parallel side surface, the abutting portions engaging a plurality of adjacent vertebral bodies and freely abut spinous processes of the adjacent vertebral bodies, wherein a first distance extending generally perpendicular to respective edges of the oppositely projecting sharp blades is larger than a second distance extending generally perpendicular to the generally parallel side surfaces, wherein the oppositely projecting sharp blades are provided at least at a center of the retainer member with respect to a longitudinal extending direction of the retainer member, wherein the respective edges of the oppositely projecting sharp blades are formed having a sharp angle, and wherein the sharp angle is positioned intermediate a distance defined between opposing planar surfaces, the opposing planar surfaces intersecting the parallel side surfaces; fixing screws which fix the pair of rods to the engaging portions; and the vertebral body distance retainer being disposed between the spinous processes of the adjacent vertebral bodies, so that a distance between the spinous processes is maintained.