A bone implant (71) comprises a body formed of an articulated open cell structure of a lightweight material, the surfaces of which structure are covered with a thin metal layer. A layer of biocompatible pyrocarbon coating is applied to the metal-coated structure so as to cover the entire structure and provide a dense, nonporous, biocompatible layer. Pyrocarbon is then selectively removed from portions (73) of the surface of the body to expose sections of the original surface which lead to regions of interconnected channels into which bone and tissue ingrowth are promoted while end regions (75) and (77) remain totally covered with such pyrocarbon.