Ligament or tendon prosthesis - is polyethylene terephthalate strip held lengthwise while treated with shrinking agent to reduce lengthwise extensibility

摘要

Prosthesis for repairing or replacing a ligament or tendon is prepared by treating a strip of polyethylene terephthalate with shrinking agent while preventing longitudinal shrinkage for a time such that lengthwise extensibility is reduced. The strip may be woven or may be a circularly- or warp-knit flattened tube with one or both surfaces velour and at least one lengthwise ridge extending from a surface. The shrinking agent is pref. CH2Cl2, alone or combined with NO2, and treatment reduces extensibility by >=50%.