Patent ID: 7267691

Claim:
A cervical intervertebral prosthesis, comprising two cover plates which are configured to be connected to adjacent vertebral bodies and a prosthesis core, wherein at least one of the two cover plates has a toothed portion thereon, the toothed portion having at least one tooth with a steep, ventrally directed flank relative to a vertebral body and a dorsally directed flank relative to a vertebral body, less steep than the ventrally directed flank; wherein at least one of the cover plates has, at a ventral edge, a dorsally directed abutment surface formed by a ventral flange configured to cooperate with a ventral surface of a vertebral body, the height of the ventral flange above the surface carrying the toothed portion being 0.5 to 2 mm; wherein one of the cover plates has within a guide formed therein a bolt that retains the prosthesis core upon implantation of the cervical intervertebral prosthesis; wherein the ventral flange has no screw holes; and wherein the slopes of the ventrally and dorsally directed flanks of the at least one tooth and the ventral flange are configured with respect to each other so that in an implanted position the ventral flange prevents movement of the cervical intervertebral prosthesis in a first direction relative to a vertebral body and the at least one tooth prevents movement of the implanted cervical intervertebral prosthesis in a second direction opposite to the first direction.