| 主权项 |
1. A method for promoting fusion across an intervertebral disc space, the method comprising the steps of:
accessing an intervertebral disc space via a lateral approach; inserting an expandable system of spinal fusion implants in an insertion state into the intervertebral disc space, wherein said expandable system of spinal fusion implants comprises: a first implant having a length extending between a leading end and a trailing end, an anterior wall and a posterior wall, and a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the length of the first implant spans the width of the interverterbral space from a first lateral aspect of a vertebral body adjacent the intervertebral space to a second lateral aspect of the vertebral body, a second implant having a leading end and a trailing end, an anterior wall and a posterior wall, and a top surface and a bottom surface; and a flexible element coupled to the leading end of the first implant and the leading end of the second implant; displacing said second implant anteriorly relative to first implant within the intervertebral disc space until the expandable system of spinal fusion implants achieves a fully expanded state, wherein the anterior wall of the second implant rests on an anterior cortical rim of an inferior vertebral body adjacent the intervertebral disc space, and wherein, in the fully expanded state, the posterior wall of the second implant is spaced apart anteriorly from the anterior wall of the first implant, thereby creating a gap extending from the anterior wall of the first implant to the posterior wall of the second implant. |
