Patent ID: 7905921

Claim:
A prosthetic intervertebral disc comprising: a first endplate having a plurality of slots; a second endplate having a plurality of slots; a compressible core comprising at least one core member positioned between said first and second endplates and the compressible core further comprising at least one fiber extending through each of said plurality of slots of said first endplate and through each of said plurality of slots of said second end plate and whereby said first and second endplates are held together and said first and second endplates and said core member are held together by the at least one fiber in a manner by which the prosthetic intervertebral disc substantially mimics functional characteristics of a natural intervertebral disc, the functional characteristics being a.) stiffness in the axial direction, b.) torsional stiffness, c.) bending stiffness in the front plane and in the sagittal plane, d.) range of motion, e.) spacing between vertebrae, f.) degree of flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation of the prosthetic disc, and g.) axial compressive stiffness.