Patent ID: 7927358

Claim:
An implant for stabilizing adjacent vertebrae separated by an intervertebral disc space, the implant comprising: a stabilizing body expandable from a first size state to a second size state along a generally longitudinal axis; a cavity defined in the stabilizing body for receiving a quantity of curable filler material sufficient to fully fill the cavity to expand the stabilizing body from the first size state to the second size state; and a first attachment member for attaching the stabilizing body to a posterior region of a first adjacent vertebrae and a second attachment member for attaching the stabilizing body to a posterior region of a second adjacent vertebrae such that the stabilizing body is provided in a superior-inferior orientation along the posterior regions of the adjacent vertebrae spanning and exterior of the intervertebral disc space between the adjacent vertebrae; wherein the stabilizing body is configured to exert a restoring moment on the first and second adjacent vertebrae by moving the first attachment member away from the second attachment member generally along the longitudinal axis during expansion from the first size state to the second size state; wherein the stabilizing body expands more along the longitudinal axis at an anterior portion of the stabilizing body than at a posterior portion of the stabilizing body when the cavity is fully filled with the curable filler material in the second size state.