Patent ID: 8292957

Claim:
An interbody spinal implant for insertion at least in part across a surgically corrected height of a disc space between adjacent vertebral bodies of a human spine, the vertebral bodies each having an anterior aspect, a posterior aspect, and an endplate having an apophyseal rim proximate the perimeter of the endplate, said implant comprising: a leading end for insertion first into the disc space, a trailing end opposite said leading end, and therebetween a length along a mid-longitudinal axis of said implant, said leading end being asymmetrical; opposed upper and lower portions between said leading and trailing ends adapted to be placed within the disc space to contact and support the adjacent vertebral bodies, said opposed upper and lower portions being arcuate transverse to the mid-longitudinal axis of said implant along at least a portion of the length of said implant, each of said opposed upper and lower portions having at least one opening therein to permit for the growth of bone from adjacent vertebral body to adjacent vertebral body through said implant, said implant being formed of bone; an interior facing side wall, an exterior facing side wall opposite said interior side wall, and a maximum width therebetween, the maximum width of said implant being less than approximately one-half of a maximum width of the adjacent vertebral bodies into which said implant is adapted to be inserted, said implant having a maximum height transverse to and greater than the maximum width of said implant, said leading end having a curved portion extending from one of said side walls across more than one-half of the maximum width of said implant in a plane dividing said implant into an upper half and lower half, the curved portion having a constant radius of curvature, said interior and exterior side walls being between said opposed upper and lower portions and said leading and trailing ends, said exterior side wall being arcuate in a vertical plane bisecting the length of said implant, said exterior side wall forming part of the same circle with said opposed upper and lower portions, each of said opposed upper and lower portions having a vertebral body contacting surface between said at least one opening and at least one of said interior side wall and said exterior side wall, each of said vertebral body contacting surfaces being adapted to be placed toward one of the adjacent vertebral bodies, said opposed upper and lower portions being spaced apart to define a hollow interior therebetween in communication with said openings; and said implant having a minimum length as measured from said leading end to said trailing end so that said leading end and said trailing end of said implant are adapted to rest upon portions of the apophyseal rim when implanted, said implant being adapted to be wholly contained within the disc space when implanted.