A prosthesis system replaces facet joints on adjoining vertebral bodies.
The prosthesis system employs a caudal prosthesis for fixation to a first
vertebral body and a cephalad prosthesis for fixation to the second
vertebral body. The caudal and cephalad prostheses have, respectively a
first artificial caudal facet joint structure and an artificial cephalad
facet joint structure, to replace all or a portion of, respectively a
caudal and cephalad portions of the natural facet joint (i.e., superior
and inferior articular processes, respectively) between the adjoining
first and second vertebral bodies. The prosthesis system further employs
a second artificial caudal facet joint structure fixed superior to the
artificial cephalad facet joint structure on the second vertebral body.
The second artificial caudal facet joint structure replaces all or a
portion of a caudal portion of a natural facet joint (i.e., a superior
articular process) between the second vertebral body and an adjoining
third vertebral body superior to the second vertebral body.