Chisel system for osteochondral implants and a surgical procedure involving same

A surgical procedure for harvesting an implantable graft from an area of a human having a cartilage overlying a condyle, the procedure comprising:

• obtaining a generally cylindrical cutting module having a proximal portion, central portion, and a distal portion, wherein the proximal portion comprises a cutting surface, at least part of the interior of the distal portion being threaded, the central portion having an outer surface with an outer diameter and an inner surface defining an inner bore with a first inner diameter, the proximal portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface of the proximal portion tapering inwardly with respect to the inner bore of the central portion to a second inner diameter less than the first inner diameter;
• threadingly connecting the distal portion of the cutting module to a threaded portion of a handle to form a chisel;
• grasping the handle and engaging the cutting surface with a bone material also containing cartilage;
• applying force to cut through the cartilage and condyle to form a graft;
• removing the cutting module from the handle;
• inserting a tap into the proximal portion of the cutting module;
• and
• pushing the graft out of the cutting module through the distal portion, thereby removing the graft without contacting the cartilage portion of the graft.