Patent ID: 7618456

Claim:
An intervertebral implant for implantation between an upper vertebra having an upper endplate and a lower vertebra having a lower endplate, the implant comprising: a three dimensional structure having a first lateral side surface, a second lateral side surface, a posterior face, an anterior face, an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper and lower surfaces adapted to contact the upper and lower endplates respectively of the upper and lower vertebra, the three dimensional structure defining a first height between the upper and lower surfaces; a plate having a top surface, a bottom surface and a horizontal center midplane, the plate contacting the anterior face of the three dimensional structure in an implanted configuration, the plate also including at least four boreholes, the at least four boreholes being internally threaded, the at least four boreholes comprising two upper boreholes and two lower boreholes, the two upper boreholes located between the horizontal center midplane and the top surface and the two lower boreholes located between the horizontal center midplane and the bottom surface, the plate defining a second height between the top and bottom surfaces, the first height being substantially equal to the second height; at least two upper bone fixation elements and at least two lower bone fixation elements, each of the at least four upper and lower bone fixation elements including a head region having an external thread for engaging the internal thread formed in the at least four boreholes, and a shank region, the shank region adapted for engaging one of the upper and lower vertebra in the implanted configuration, the at least two upper bone fixation elements mounted in the two upper boreholes and the at least two lower bone fixation elements mounted in the two lower boreholes in the implanted configuration, the head regions of the two upper bone fixation elements located between the top surface and the horizontal center midplane and the head regions of the two lower bone fixation elements located between the bottom surface and the horizontal center midplane in the implanted configuration, the shank region of the two upper bone fixation elements intersecting the upper surface of the three dimensional body and the shank region of the two lower bone fixation elements intersecting the lower surface of the three dimensional body in the implanted configuration, the shank region of the two upper bone fixation elements being mutually laterally divergent with respect to one another and the shank regions of the two lower bone fixation elements being mutually laterally divergent with respect to one another in the implanted configuration.