Patent ID: 8496707

Claim:
A cervical disc prosthesis for nonhuman large mammals comprising: a first disc comprising: a first disc body with top and bottom surfaces, wherein the top surface has a protrusion, the protrusion being unitary with the top surface, and wherein the bottom surface is convex and comprises one or more concentric circles for bone ingrowth into the first disc; a second disc comprising: a second disc body with top and bottom surfaces, wherein the bottom surface is convex and comprises one or more concentric circles for bone ingrowth into the second disc, and wherein the top surface has a socket recessed therein; wherein the first disc and the second discs are made from stainless steel, wherein the type of stainless steel of the first disc differs from the type of stainless steel of the second disc; at least one removable fin attached to a side surface of at least one of the discs; wherein the removable fin extends along with two non-parallel axes; wherein the protrusion of the first disc is sized and shaped to pivot in the socket of the second disc; wherein the first and second discs remain substantially parallel to and axially spaced from each other with their top surfaces facing each other; wherein the first disk coaptates with the second disk to provide pivoting movement, the movement having a range of motion with approximately thirty degrees of freedom; and wherein, when the cervical disc prosthesis is implanted between adjacent vertebrae, the first and the second discs remain operably connected to each other without a locking mechanism.