Bone grafts

Patent Number: 6371988, issued on 2002/04/16    
Applied on 2000/01/18
Inventor(s): John Pafford, Lawrence M Boyd, William F McKay, Eddie F Ray III, James E Van Hoeck
Assignee: SDGI Holdings, Inc.

Abstract: Spinal spacers 20 are provided for fusion of a motion segment. The spacers include a load bearing member 21 having a wall 22 sized for engagement within a space between adjacent vertebrae to maintain the space and an effective amount of an osteogenic composition to stimulate osteoinduction. The osteogenic composition includes a substantially pure osteogenic factor in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In one embodiment the load bearing member includes a bone graft impregnated in an osteogenic composition. In another embodiment, the osteogenic composition 30 is packed within a chamber 25 defined in the graft. Any suitable configuration of a bone graft is contemplated, including bone dowels, D-shaped spacers and cortical rings.