Patent ID: 7503933

Claim:
An interbody spinal fusion implant for insertion into a recipient site formed at least in part within a disc space in between adjacent vertebral bodies of a human spine, said implant comprising: a leading end for insertion first into the recipient site, a trailing end opposite said leading end and a mid-longitudinal axis through said leading and trailing ends, a depth along said mid-longitudinal axis, and a width and a height each perpendicular to the depth, said implant having a maximum width greater than the depth of said implant and greater than the height of said implant; a top and a bottom between said leading and trailing ends adapted to space apart the adjacent vertebral bodies, said top and said bottom having at least one opening therethrough, said openings being in communication with one another to permit for the growth of bone from adjacent vertebral body to adjacent vertebral body through said implant, at least one of said openings being surrounded by said implant, said top and said bottom being in an angular relationship relative to the mid-longitudinal axis along at least a portion of the depth of said implant sufficient to maintain the adjacent vertebral bodies in an angular relationship to each other; and opposite sides between said top and said bottom, and between said leading and trailing ends, said implant having a non-arcuate cross section through said top, bottom, and opposite sides transverse to the mid-longitudinal axis along at least a portion of the depth of said implant, said trailing end including a curved portion between said opposite sides to conform to the natural anatomical curvature of the adjacent vertebral bodies, said curved portion having a radius of curvature greater than a maximum dimension between said leading end and said trailing end along the mid-longitudinal axis of said implant, said leading end having a width between said opposite sides, said leading end being straight across a majority of the width of said leading end and across the mid-longitudinal axis of said implant.