Patent ID: 8257437

Claim:
A method of containing an augmentation material within a weakened disc between two adjacent vertebral bodies to facilitate fusion, comprising: identifying a weakened intervertebral disc located between two adjacent vertebral bodies; inserting one or more solid augmentation materials within said intervertebral disc; placing said one or more solid augmentation materials against a healthy region of the intervertebral disc; inserting a barrier into the intervertebral disc to partially encapsulate said one or more solid augmentation materials, thereby preventing extrusion of said one or more solid augmentation materials from the intervertebral disc; anchoring said barrier to a vertebral endplate with a bone anchor, wherein anchoring said barrier comprises inserting said bone anchor within the vertebral endplate such that no part of the bone anchor protrudes beyond a circumferential border of the vertebral endplate; and causing or allowing fibrous or bony ingrowth in or around said one or more solid augmentation materials.