A surgical implant, especially an artificial intervertebral disc, includes a rigid substrate (513) having a porous attachment structure (512) that covers a portion of the substrate and an elastomeric body (510) that is fastened to the substrate by impregnating the porous attachment structure. The porous attachment structure has a net porosity greater than 21.5%. The porous attachment structure may be, for example, a perforated plate or a screen spaced from a substrate surface, or a layer of trabecular metal or an open-cellular material.