Patent ID: 7238205

Claim:
A vertebral implant for interposition between two vertebral endplates comprising: a tubular body sized to fit between the two vertebral endplates; a pair of ring-shaped cleat assemblies, each cleat assembly comprising an outer end wall, an inner end wall, and a side wall which defines a hollow bore, wherein one or more spikes extend from each outer end wall, and wherein each hollow bore is sized to fit over an end of the tubular body and is configured to slidably pass from the end along at least a portion of the length of the tubular body directly in an axial direction, wherein prior to interposition between the two vertebral endplates, the tubular body is slidably passed through the hollow bores in each of the cleat assemblies and wherein the spikes on each outer end wall are directed away from each other and extend toward opposite ends of the tubular body without extending past the opposite ends of the tubular body.