Absorbable structures for ligament and tendon repair

摘要

A fully absorbable prosthesis (1) for the repair of damaged ligaments and/or tendons in the form of a multilayer spiral roll comprising the following spiral layers: a foraminous layer (2) of a synthetic bioabsorbable material; a bioabsorbable film (3); and a layer (4) of a bioabsorbable biopolymer sponge. The invention also provides a method of making such a prosthesis, comprising the steps of: providing a laminate of a foraminous layer of bioabsorbable material and a bioabsorbable film; coating the laminate with a layer of an aqueous gel comprising a bioabsorbable polymer; rolling up the laminate and the gel layer into a spiral roll, followed by drying the gel to form a layer of bioabsorbable sponge. The foraminous layer (2) preferably comprises a synthetic bioabsorbable polymer having high tensile strength. The bioabsorbable film (3) and sponge layer (4) preferably comprise a chemotactic biopolymer such as collagen. <IMAGE>