US 7,320,707 B2
Method of laterally inserting an artificial vertebral disk replacement implant with crossbar spacer
James F. Zucherman, San Francisco, Calif. (US); Ken Y. Hsu, San Francisco, Calif. (US); and Steven T. Mitchell, Pleasant Hill, Calif. (US)
Assigned to St. Francis Medical Technologies, Inc., Alameda, Calif. (US)
Filed on Nov. 05, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/981,952.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/517791, filed on Nov. 05, 2003.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/517973, filed on Nov. 06, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2005/0283243 A1, Dec. 22, 2005
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61F 2/44 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 623—17.14  [623/17.15] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. 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.