Patent ID: 8911441

Claim:
An instrument to prepare a space between vertebral members comprising: a shaft including a proximal end and a distal end; a blade rotationally mounted at the distal end of the shaft and rotating about an axis that is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the shaft, the blade including a base and a plurality of spaced apart teeth that each extend outward from the base such that each of the plurality of teeth are disposed at an acute angle relative to an adjacent tooth, each of the plurality of teeth extending from a center of the blade and terminating prior to a peripheral edge of the base, each of the plurality of teeth having a height measured between the base and a tip and being configured to cut into one of the vertebral members; and a depth stop positioned at the center of the blade, the depth stop extending outward from the base of the blade in a same direction as each of the plurality of teeth, wherein the depth stop includes a non-cutting surface positioned relative to the tips of each of the plurality of teeth to limit the cut to a depth that is less than the height of each of the plurality of the spaced apart teeth.