Spinal implant

1 . A spinal fusion implant comprising:

a leading end and a trailing end opposite said leading end, said implant having a length from said leading end to said trailing end, said trailing end having a perimeter, said trailing end having a hole therein, said trailing end having a slot portion intersecting one portion of the perimeter of said trailing end, said trailing end having another slot portion intersecting another portion of the perimeter of said trailing end opposite said one portion of the perimeter of said trailing end;

opposite sides between said leading and trailing ends, said implant having a width from one of said sides to the other of said sides, said implant having a height; and

an opening through said implant and oriented along the height, said opening being between said opposite sides and between said leading and trailing ends.

2 . The implant of claim 1 , wherein said slot portion and said another slot portion are opposite ends of a slot having a length and a width transverse to the length of said slot.

3 . The implant of claim 2 , wherein said hole has a diameter, the width of said slot being greater than the diameter of said hole.

4 . The implant of claim 1 , wherein said sides have at least one opening in communication with said opening through the height of said implant.

5 . The implant of claim 1 , wherein said implant comprises a second opening through said implant and oriented along the height, said second opening being between said opposite sides and between said leading and trailing ends.

6 . The implant of claim 1 , wherein the height of said implant is less than the width of said implant.

7 . An artificial spinal fusion implant comprising:

a leading end and a trailing end opposite said leading end, said implant having a length from said leading end to said trailing end;

opposite sides between said leading and trailing ends, each of said sides and said trailing end having an upper portion, said implant having a maximum width from one of said sides to the other of said sides, said implant having a central vertical axis perpendicular to the length and width of said implant, said implant having a height, said implant having a maximum height less than the maximum width of said implant; and

an opening through said implant and oriented along the height, said opening being between said opposite sides and between said leading and trailing ends, said opening having an upper portion between said upper portions of said opposite sides, said upper portion of said opening having a minimum dimension transverse to the central vertical axis of said implant that is greater than the maximum height of said implant.

8 . The implant of claim 7 , wherein said opening has a central longitudinal axis that is generally coaxial with the central vertical axis of said implant.

9 . The implant of claim 7 , wherein said trailing end includes a trough.

10 . The implant of claim 9 , wherein said trough includes a hole.

11 . The implant of claim 7 , wherein one of said sides has at least one opening in communication with said opening oriented along the height of said implant, said at least one side opening having a central longitudinal axis and a cross-sectional size transverse to the central longitudinal axis of said at least one side opening, the transverse cross-sectional size of said at least one side opening being different from the transverse cross-sectional size of said opening oriented along the height of said implant.

12 . The implant of claim 7 , wherein said implant has a cross section along at least a portion of the length of said implant that forms a quadrilateral.

13 . The implant of claim 7 , wherein said minimum transverse dimension of said upper portion of said opening is greater than a majority of the length of said implant.

14 . An artificial spinal fusion implant comprising:

a leading end and a trailing end opposite said leading end, said implant having a length from said leading end to said trailing end and a maximum width perpendicular to the length;

a top and a bottom between said leading and trailing ends, said implant having a maximum height from said top to said bottom, said implant having a central vertical axis through said top and said bottom;

a plurality of openings in each of said top and said bottom;

said top and said bottom being spaced apart from one another to form an open area therebetween, said openings in said top and bottom being in communication with said open area; and

the maximum width of said implant being greater than the maximum height of said implant.

15 . The implant of claim 14 , wherein said implant has a cross section along at least a portion of the length of said implant that forms a quadrilateral.

16 . The implant of claim 14 , further comprising a material adapted to fill at least a portion of one of said openings in said top.

17 . The implant of claim 14 , wherein one of said openings in said top has a minimum dimension transverse to the central vertical axis of said implant that is greater than a majority of the length of said implant.

18 . The implant of claim 14 , wherein at least one of said openings in said top and at least one of said openings in said bottom overlap each other along a vertical line.

19 . The implant of claim 14 , wherein said top and said bottom are generally parallel to one another.

20 . The implant of claim 14 , wherein said open area has a maximum width transverse to the length of said implant, the maximum width of said open area being greater than the maximum height of said implant.