Apparatus and method for preparing a spinal implant surgical site for receiving a spinal fusion implant

1. An apparatus for preparing a spinal implant surgical site for receiving a spinal fusion implant, comprising:

a drive shaft;

a handle carried by the drive shaft; and

a hollow, cylindrical cutting body provided at a leading end of the drive shaft having an open leading end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart cutting teeth provided on the open leading end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart gullets each provided between an adjacent pair of the cutting teeth, each of the gullets having a pair of parallel sidewalls ending in a base that is opposite a throat, and each of the gullets having a depth at least twice the width between the sidewalls.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft comprises an elongate, cylindrical drive shaft.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the handle comprises a t-shaped handle integrally formed onto a trailing end of the cylindrical drive shaft.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hollow, cylindrical cutting body has a cylindrical outer wall and a concentric cylindrical inner wall, wherein the cylindrical inner wall extends from the open leading end into the body from a leading end toward a trailing end.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cylindrical inner wall is sized with a uniform dimension cross-section extending from the leading end toward the trailing end.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises a tactile gripping surface configured to facilitate tactile manipulation of the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hollow, cylindrical body has a closed trailing end comprising a cylindrical end wall affixed onto a leading end of the drive shaft.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cutting teeth are all configured in one of a clockwise cutting array and a counterclockwise cutting array.

9. A kerf cleaning tool for bone bodies, comprising:

a handle support member;

a handle carried by the handle support member; and

a cutting head provided at a leading end of the handle support member having an open leading end, a cylindrical bore extending from the open leading end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart cutting teeth provided along the open leading end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart gullets each provided between an adjacent pair of the cutting teeth, each of the gullets having a pair of parallel sidewalls ending in a base that is opposite a throat, each of the gullets having a depth at least twice the width between the sidewalls, and each of the gullets configured in one of a clockwise helical array and a counterclockwise helical array.

10. The kerf cleaning tool of claim 9 , wherein the handle comprises a t-shaped handle integrally formed from the handle support member.

11. The kerf cleaning tool of claim 9 , wherein the cutting head comprises a cylindrical cutting body.

12. The kerf cleaning tool of claim 9 , wherein the cutting head comprises a cylindrical outer surface and a concentric, cylindrical inner surface defining, at least in part, the cylindrical bore.

13. The kerf cleaning tool of claim 9 , wherein the cutting head, the handle support member, and the handle are integrally formed together.

14. The kerf cleaning tool of claim 9 , wherein the cutting head has a cylindrical wall portion defining, at least in part, the cylindrical bore, and wherein the cutting teeth are integrally formed along the leading end of the cylindrical wall portion.

15. A method of shaping a kerf within at least one bone body, comprising:

providing a kerf shaping tool having a cylindrical cutting body along a leading end of a drive shaft, the body having an open leading end, a cylindrical bore extending from the open leading end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart cutting teeth provided on the open leading end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart gullets each provided between an adjacent pair of the cutting teeth;

inserting the cylindrical cutting body into a cylindrical kerf provided by at least one bone body;

rotating the tool within the kerf to cut bone chips from the at least one bone body; and

depositing the chips in one or more of the gullets for removal from the kerf with the tool.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein rotating comprises oscillating the tool within the kerf.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising withdrawing the tool and the chips from within the kerf after depositing the chips in the one or more of the gullets.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cutting teeth are biased in one of a clockwise direction and a counter-clockwise direction.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein rotating comprises rotating the tool in the one of the clockwise direction and the counter-clockwise direction.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein inserting and rotating are performed concurrently.

21. An apparatus for preparing a spinal implant surgical site for receiving a spinal fusion implant, comprising:

an elongate, cylindrical drive shaft;

a t-shaped handle integrally formed onto a trailing end of the cylindrical drive shaft; and

a hollow, cylindrical cutting body provided at a leading end of the drive shaft having an open leading end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart cutting teeth provided on the open leading end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart gullets each provided between an adjacent pair of the cutting teeth, each of the gullets having a pair of parallel sidewalls ending in a base that is opposite a throat, and each of the gullets configured in one of a clockwise helical array and a counterclockwise helical array.

22. An apparatus for preparing a spinal implant surgical site for receiving a spinal fusion implant, comprising:

a drive shaft;

a handle carried by the drive shaft; and

a hollow, cylindrical cutting body having a cylindrical outer wall and a concentric cylindrical inner wall, the cylindrical inner wall extending from the open leading end into the body from a leading end toward a trailing end, the cutting body provided at a leading end of the drive shaft having an open leading end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart cutting teeth provided on the open leading end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart gullets each provided between an adjacent pair of the cutting teeth, each of the gullets having a pair of parallel sidewalls ending in a base that is opposite a throat, and each of the gullets having a depth at least twice the width between the sidewalls.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the cylindrical inner wall is sized with a uniform dimension cross-section extending from the leading end toward the trailing end.

24. An apparatus for preparing a spinal implant surgical site for receiving a spinal fusion implant, comprising:

a drive shaft;

a handle carried by the drive shaft; and

a hollow, cylindrical cutting body provided at a leading end of the drive shaft having an open leading end, a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart cutting teeth provided on the open leading end, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart gullets each provided between an adjacent pair of the cutting teeth, wherein the cutting teeth are all configured in one of a clockwise cutting array and a counterclockwise cutting array, each of the gullets having a pair of parallel sidewalls ending in a base that is opposite a throat, and each of the gullets having a depth at least twice the width between the sidewalls.