Patent ID: 8715355

Claim:
A system for performing spinal fusion, comprising: an intervertebral fusion cage having a frame that comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a leading end, a trailing end, and a pair of lateral walls, the intervertebral fusion cage having a hollow interior and an exterior, and the top wall and the bottom wall each have at least one opening allowing for fluid communication between the hollow interior and an exterior, said cage configured for receiving in its interior a fusion promoting material comprising bone graft material, for placement within the hollow interior of the fusion cage; said cage adapted to receive generally planar elements disposed on at least one of the top wall, bottom wall, and pair of lateral walls of the cage, said generally planar elements configured to reversibly cover the at least one opening in one of the top wall and the bottom wall, said generally planar elements preventing leakage of the fusion promoting material out of the at least one opening, said generally planar elements providing a barrier to the undesired translocation of the fusion-promoting material and substantially precluding fluid communication between the hollow interior and the exterior of the cage, such that said fusion promoting material is maintained within the hollow interior of the intervertebral fusion cage during insertion of the intervertebral fusion cage into the intervertebral space, wherein said generally planar elements are configured to be removable from the intervertebral fusion cage when the intervertebral fusion cage is placed in the intervertebral space, wherein fluid communication is permitted between the hollow interior and the exterior of the cage and allows the fusion promoting material to move from the hollow interior to the exterior of the cage, wherein said intervertebral fusion cage includes a first aperture formed in said trailing end, said first aperture configured to mate with an inserter, and wherein the generally planar elements comprise veneers that are disposed on either side of a fusion implant having more than one aperture adapted for receiving fusion-promoting material.