Tools and implants for lateral disc replacement

A disc replacement implant comprising:

• a first endplate configured to engage a vertebral endplate of a first vertebra adjacent an intervertebral space;
• a second endplate configured to engage a vertebral endplate of a second vertebra opposite the first end plate in the intervertebral space;
• a core between the first and second endplates, wherein the core includes a first core plate that engages an inner surface of the first endplate and a second core plate that engages an inner surface of the second endplate, wherein a first pocket is defined between the first endplate and the first core plate, wherein there are a plurality of holes through the first end plate from an external surface of the first endplate into the first pocket for osseointegration;
• and
• an annulus surrounding the core and connecting a perimeter of the first endplate to a perimeter of the second end plate.