Importance

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Abstract

Surgical prosthetic modular implants used singularly or stacked together are provided to support and fuse together adjacent vertebrae or to totally or partially replace one or more vertebrae in a vertebral column. The implants are rigid annular plugs, dimensionally similar to normal vertebral bodies, have simplified oval or hemi-oval shapes with ridged faces to engage adjacent vertebral bodies to resist displacement and allow bone ingrowth and fusion and to interdigitate with the ridges of an adjacent plug for modular stacking to allow variability of ultimate implant height. The implants can be provided in sets of different thicknesses and are internally grooved to receive an upstanding connecting bar to bind together the individual stacked implants into a stable unit. The annular implants have ample spaces to allow ingrowth of blood capillaries and packing of bone graft and are preferably made of a radiolucent material, preferably biocompatible carbon fiber reinforced polymers or are alternately made of traditional orthopaedic implant materials such as nickel, chromium, cobalt, stainless steel or titanium.

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First Claim