Abstract: An intervertebral implant in the form of a support unit with a central yoke and four legs extending in a direction is described. The legs are configured in two substantially mutually parallel planes spaced apart by the yoke and are abuttable as support surfaces against adjacent vertebrae. A guide cylinder extending from the yoke in the same direction as the legs has at least on threaded surface. A dilator member is adapted to be fixed to the guide cylinder and to deformably spread the legs of the intervertebral implant a predetermined amount. The gaps between the legs which the dilator member spreads may have grooves to arrest the dilator member in a predetermined location.

Abstract: An intervertebral implant for fusion of vertebral bodies is disclosed. The implant includes a flattened shaped hollow element in the form of a hollow cylinder, hollow truncated cone, hollow truncated pyramid, or hollow truncated wedge, with an outer surface having a flattened upper bone-contact face, flattened lower bone contact face, and two lateral faces. The upper and lower bone-contact faces can be elastically compressed towards the interior space of the hollow element in such a way that the maxi mum distance between the upper and lower contact faces can be reduced by 0.5 to 5.0 mm. The compressibility of the implant allows the insertion of the implant without the need for distracting the vertebras. After the implant is implanted, the engagement of an engagement lip with an interlock means prevents the compression of the implant.

Abstract: The intervertebral implant comprises a frame-type cage (1) which is open at its top and base faces (11 and 12 respectively) with two lateral faces (13, 14), a front wall (15) and a rear wall (16). A rotating element (2) is mounted in the cage (1) so as to be capable of rotation. The outer surface of the rotating element (2) is provided with a helical structure (21). The helical structure (21) protrudes beyond the cover and base faces (11, 12) outside the confines of the cage (1). The front wall (15) has an aperture (17) for the introduction of a drive tool with which the rotating element (2) in the cage (1) can be made to rotate.