Patent ID: 7320707

Claim:
A method of inserting an intervertebral implant comprising the steps of: a. accessing a lateral side of adjacent vertebral bodies; b. cutting receiving channels into an upper vertebral body and a lower vertebral body, wherein the receiving channels extends between a first lateral end and a second lateral end of the vertebral bodies; and c. inserting a first keel of an upper end plate of the implant into the receiving channel of the upper vertebral body and a second keel of a lower end plate of the implant into the receiving channel of the lower vertebral body, wherein the first and second keels include a plurality of ports to facilitate bone in-growth, the implant further includes a crossbar spacer between the first end plate and the second end plate; wherein the crossbar spacer includes a first spacer beam received in a first socket in the first end plate and a second spacer beam received in a second socket in the second end plate, the first and second spacer beams being circular in cross section; wherein the crossbar is movable relative to each end plate.