Patent ID: 8377063

Claim:
A method for preparing a space in the human spine to receive an implant between adjacent vertebral bodies, the method comprising: providing a bone removal device including a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, a mounting member disposed at the distal end of the shaft, a working end having a leading end adapted for insertion into the spine and a trailing end opposite the leading end, the working end mounted on the mounting member, the working end having at least two cutters, a drive mechanism operably connected to the trailing end of the working end for moving the cutters of the working end, and a power source operably connected to the drive mechanism; activating the power source of the bone removal device to cause the drive mechanism to rotate the cutters; contacting the cutters against the adjacent vertebral bodies to simultaneously remove bone from each of the adjacent vertebral bodies and create the space having a predetermined surface contour into each of the adjacent vertebral bodies as the cutters are moved into the adjacent vertebral bodies; removing the cutters from the space created in the bone; and inserting an implant into the space created in the bone, the implant having a shape corresponding to the predetermined surface contour of the space created in the bone.