Patent ID: 8192494

Claim:
A device for use in orthopedic surgery, comprising: a pair of components positioned adjacent one another and defining a gap therebetween, each component including a first unit and a second unit, each of said units respectively having a bone contacting surface on one side of each of said units and an arcuate articulation surface on a second side of each of said units, said first and second sides being on opposing ends of each of said first and second units, said first and second units being sized and configured for implantation into a bone joint space of a subject, wherein said articulation surface of said first unit has a concave or convex shape and said articulation surface of said second unit is configured to have a convex or concave shape that is complementary to the shape of the first unit articulation surface; and wherein, the articulation surfaces of the first units of the components cooperate to define a first radius of curvature and the articulation surfaces of the second units of the components cooperate to define a second radius of curvature, and wherein the second unit of each of the components includes a compression relief slot defined therein, the second units of each of the components defining mirror-image configurations relative to one another such that the compression relief slots cooperate with one another to translate compressive forces along the spine when implanted in a subject.