Bellows shaped spinal implant

1. A bellows shaped spinal implant, comprising:

an upper plate having an outer upper contact surface and at least one upper opening therethrough;

a lower plate having an outer lower contact surface and at least one lower opening therethrough; and

a bellows shaped shell extending between and joining said upper plate and said lower plate, said bellows shaped shell being formed of titanium or an alloy comprising titanium and including a wall extending therearound that defines a hollow interior in communication with said at least one upper opening and said at least one lower opening, said wall having a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm, said wall being angled or curved between said upper plate and said lower plate, said wall including an insertion portion having a thickness greater than the thickness of the remainder of said wall, said insertion portion comprising a hole formed therethrough in communication with said hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell, and said hole configured for introducing bone graft into the hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell.

2. The bellows shaped implant of claim 1 , wherein said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface each include a porous surface comprising a micro roughness.

3. The bellows shaped implant of claim 2 , wherein said porous surface of each of said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface is 3-D printed defining a plurality of pores therethrough in communication with said hollow interior.

4. The bellows shaped implant of claim 3 , wherein said porous surface of each of said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface further comprises a nano roughness.

5. The bellows shaped implant of claim 4 , wherein said nano roughness is formed by laser ablation with a femto-second laser.

6. The bellows shaped implant of claim 4 , wherein said nano roughness is formed by acid etching.

7. The bellows shaped implant of claim 1 , wherein each of said upper plate and said lower plate has a thickness greater than the thickness of said wall.

8. The bellows shaped implant of claim 1 , wherein said upper plate, said lower plate and said bellows shaped shell are formed unitarily as a one-piece bellows shaped spinal implant.

9. The bellows shaped implant of claim 1 , wherein said wall further comprises a slit extending laterally into said insertion portion.

10. The bellows shaped implant of claim 9 , wherein the hole through said insertion portion is threaded for attachment to a threaded inserter.

11. A bellows shaped spinal implant, comprising:

an upper plate having at least one upper opening therethrough;

a lower plate having at least one lower opening therethrough; and

a bellows shaped shell extending between and joining said upper plate and said lower plate, said bellows shaped shell being formed of titanium or an alloy comprising titanium and including a wall extending therearound that defines a hollow interior in communication with said at least one upper opening and said at least one lower opening, said wall having a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm, said wall being angled or curved between said upper plate and said lower plate,

said wall including an insertion portion having a thickness greater than the thickness of the remainder of said wall, said insertion portion comprising a threaded hole for attachment to a threaded inserter;

wherein said upper plate and said lower plate each have a fixation opening angularly formed therethrough for receipt of a fixation element, respectively, each fixation opening further extending through said wall of said bellows shaped shell.

12. The bellows shaped implant of claim 11 , wherein each of said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface is planar.

13. The bellows shaped implant of claim 11 , wherein said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface are formed at an angle relative to each other.

14. The bellows shaped implant of claim 11 , wherein said at least one upper opening comprises a plurality of fenestrations and said at least one lower opening comprises a plurality of fenestrations.

15. The bellows shaped implant of claim 11 , wherein said wall of said bellows shaped shell is angled or curved inwardly between said upper plate and said lower plate at an inclusive angle beta, β in a range from a minimum of 0° to a maximum of 180°.

16. The bellows shaped implant of claim 14 , wherein said thickness of the wall of said bellows shaped shell is 0.5 mm and the angle beta, β of said bellows shaped wall is 90°.

17. The bellows shaped implant of claim 16 , wherein said wall of said bellows shaped shell further comprises a slit extending laterally into said insertion portion.

18. A bellows shaped spinal implant, comprising:

an upper plate including an outer upper contact surface comprising a 3-D printed porous surface with a micro roughness defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough, and at least one upper opening formed therethrough;

a lower plate including an outer lower contact surface comprising a 3-D printed porous surface including a micro roughness defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough, and at least one lower opening formed therethrough; and

a bellows shaped shell extending between and joining said upper plate and said lower plate, said bellows shaped shell being formed of titanium or an alloy comprising titanium and including a wall extending therearound that defines a hollow interior in communication with said pores and said at least one upper opening of said upper plate and said pores and said at least one lower opening of said lower plate, said wall being angled or curved between said upper plate and said lower plate, said wall including an insertion portion with a thickness greater than a thickness of the remainder of said wall,

said insertion portion comprising a threaded hole formed therethrough in communication with said hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell, said wall having a slit extending laterally into said insertion portion, and said threaded hole configured for introducing bone graft into the hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell or for attachment to a threaded inserter.

19. The bellows shaped implant of claim 18 , wherein said porous surface of each of said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface further comprises a nano roughness.

20. The bellows shaped implant of claim 19 , wherein said nano roughness of each of said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface is formed by laser ablation with a femto-second laser.

21. The bellows shaped implant of claim 19 , wherein said nano roughness of each of said outer upper contact surface and said outer lower contact surface is formed by acid etching.

22. The bellows shaped implant of claim 18 , wherein said wall of said bellows shaped shell is angled or curved inwardly between said upper plate and said lower plate at an inclusive angle beta, β.

23. A bellows shaped spinal implant, comprising:

an upper plate having an outer upper contact surface and at least one upper opening therethrough;

a lower plate having an outer lower contact surface and at least one lower opening therethrough; and

a bellows shaped shell extending between and joining said upper plate and said lower plate, said bellows shaped shell being formed of titanium or an alloy comprising titanium and including a wall extending continuously therearound that defines a hollow interior in communication with said at least one upper opening and said at least one lower opening, said wall being angled or curved between said upper plate and said lower plate, said wall having a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm that is configured and dimensioned to achieve radiographic imaging through said wall, said wall being configured and dimensioned to provide stiffness that mimics stiffness properties of a similarly sized polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implant, said wall including an anterior portion having a thickness greater than the thickness of the remainder of said wall, said anterior portion comprising an attachment feature for attachment to an inserter, and said wall comprising at least one opening angularly formed therethrough in communication with said hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell, said at least one opening configured for receipt of a fixation element.

24. The bellows shaped implant of claim 23 , wherein said at least one opening further extends through one of said upper plate or said lower plate.

25. The bellows shaped implant of claim 23 , wherein said wall of said bellows shaped shell is angled or curved between said upper plate and said lower plate at an angle to provide stiffness that mimics stiffness properties of a similarly sized polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implant.

26. The bellows shaped implant of claim 23 , wherein said upper plate, said lower plate and said bellows shaped shell comprise a 3-D printed one-piece bellows shaped spinal implant.

27. The bellows shaped implant of claim 23 , wherein said outer upper contact surface comprises a porous surface defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough in communication with said hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell, and wherein said outer lower contact surface comprises a porous surface defining a plurality of pores extending therethrough in communication with said hollow interior of said bellows shaped shell.

28. The bellows shaped implant of claim 27 , wherein said porous surface of said outer upper contact surface further comprises a nano roughness, and wherein said porous surface of said outer lower contact surface further comprises a nano roughness.

29. The bellows shaped implant of claim 23 , wherein said attachment feature includes a threaded hole for attachment to a threaded inserter.