Open intervertebral spacer

An interbody fusion spacer, comprising:

• a body having a wall defining a chamber, the body defining an opening in communication with said chamber, said wall having a first arm and an opposite second arm facing said first arm, said first arm and said second arm forming a mouth to said chamber, wherein said first arm is truncated relative to said second arm.

A graft comprising an elongated body consisting essentially of cortical bone, said body having an outer surface and a longitudinal axis along a length of said body and defining a chamber therethrough along a second axis substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said body further defining a channel defined along said longitudinal axis and in communication with said chamber and said outer surface.

A hollow intervertebral spacer, comprising:

• a cylindrical body having a wall, said wall having an outer surface and defining a chamber and an opening in communication with said chamber;
• and a channel defined in said wall in communication with said chamber and said outer surface.

A bone graft having a C-shaped wall defining a chamber.

A “C”-shaped dowel substantially composed of cortical bone.

The “C”-shaped dowel of claim 38 wherein said osteogenic composition comprises autogenous bone, bone morphogenetic protein, a calcium phosphate composition or a mixture of these.

A method of making a dowel which comprises machining an off-center transverse plug from the diaphysis of a donor's fibula, radius, ulna, humerus, femur or tibia, said plug having a diameter of between about 10 mm and about 24 mm and a depth (length) of between about 8 mm and about 30 mm such that the resulting dowel has, running through it, perpendicular to the long axis of the dowel, a substantially “C”-shaped chamber.

An insertion tool for inserting a spacer into an intervertebral space, comprising:

• spacer engaging means for engaging the spacer;
• and
• occlusion means separate from said spacer engaging means for blocking an opening defined in the spacer.

The tool of claim 74 wherein said spacer engaging means is a pair of prongs having opposite, facing spacer engaging members for grasping an outer surface of the spacer.

A driving tool for implanting an interbody spacer in a space between adjacent vertebrae, the spacer including a body defining a chamber and an opening in communication with the chamber, the body having a pair of arms facing one another and forming a mouth to the chamber, and an anterior surface defining a tool engaging hole, the tool comprising:

• spacer engaging means for engaging the tool engaging hole;
• and
• occlusion means for blocking said mouth.