Abstract: Open chambered spacers, implanting tools and methods are provided. The spacers 500′ include a body 505′ having a wall 506′ which defines a chamber 530′ and an opening 531′ in communication with the chamber 530′. In one embodiment the wall 506′ includes a pair of arms 520′, 521′ facing one another and forming a mouth 525′ to the chamber 530′. Preferably, one of the arms 520′ is truncated relative to the other, forming a channel 526. In one aspect the body 505′ is a bone dowel comprising an off-center plug from the diaphysis of a long bone. The tools 800 include spacer engaging means for engaging a spacer and occlusion means for blocking an opening defined in the spacer. In some embodiments, the occlusion means 820 includes a plate 821 extendable from the housing 805.

Abstract: A dowel (300) is provided by obtaining a plug from the shaft (diaphysis) of various long bones. The dowel (300) has an intra-medullary canal (30) which can be packed with any of a variety of osteogenic materials. The dowel (300) has a cortical surface (10) into which an instrument attachment hole (15) may be machined and onto which an alignment mark (16) may be inscribed for proper orientation of the intra-medullary canal (30) or a driver slot (56) which may be used to assist in further machining of the bone dowel (300). The dowel (300) ha a chamfered insertion end and has improved biomechanical and vertebral fusion induction properties as compared to standard dowels known in the art. A threaded (31) or grooved (32) dowel (300) and an apparatus (400) for efficient production thereof are also provided.

Abstract: An interference screw is provided by machining a fragment of autograft or allograft cortical bone from a donor or from a recipient's amputated bone. The interference screw has a cortical surface into which a self-tapping thread is machined. The interference screw has a machined pointed, rounded or flush end and an opposite machined end which mates with a drive means, and has advantages over conventional interference screws known in the art in that subsequent to implantation, no residual hardware that must later be removed remains at the implant site.

Abstract: A dowel is provided by obtaining a plug from the shaft (diaphysis) of various long bones. The dowel has an intra-medullary canal which can be packed with any of a variety of osteogenic materials. The dowel has a cortical surface into which an instrument attachment hole may be machined and onto which an alignment mark may be inscribed for proper orientation of the intra-medullary canal. The dowel has a chamfered insertion end and has improved biomechanical and vertebral fusion induction properties as compared to standard dowels known in the art.