Patent ID: 8277510

Claim:
A surgical system, comprising: an intervertebral fusion cage; an inserter for retaining the intervertebral fusion cage in a rotationally secure state, the inserter reversibly connected to the intervertebral fusion cage having a frame that comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a leading end, a trailing end, and a pair of lateral walls, the intervertebral fusion cage having a hollow interior and an exterior, and the top wall and the bottom wall each have at least one opening allowing for fluid communication between the hollow interior and an exterior of the cage, said cage configured for receiving in its interior a fusion promoting material comprising bone graft material, for placement within the hollow interior of the fusion cage; said cage adapted to receive generally planar elements disposed on at least one of the top wall, bottom wall, and pair of lateral walls of the cage, said generally planar elements configured to reversibly cover the at least one opening in one of the top wall and the bottom wall, said generally planar elements preventing leakage of the fusion promoting material out of the at least one opening, said generally planar elements providing a barrier to the undesired translocation of the fusion-promoting material and substantially precluding fluid communication between the hollow interior and the exterior of the cage; wherein said cage is adapted to permit said generally planar elements to be removed from the cage after surgical implantation of the cage, and when removed from the cage, fluid communication is permitted between the hollow interior and the exterior of the cage and allows the fusion promoting material to move from the hollow interior to the exterior of the cage; and wherein said inserter comprises a shaft having a first portion and a second portion and an angle between said first portion and said second portion, said second portion having a threaded distal end that connects to said cage.