| abstract |
A sterile shaped prosthetic device, suitable for insertion into a mammalian body, is at least partly composed of a bioresorbable material that is digestible by macrophages, its surface properties favor the attachment and adhesion of fibroblast cells capable of producing collagen for organized connective tissues, and the material itself or its degradation products can induce in vivo the formation of new capillary vessels (termed a "vasotropic" effect herein). Preferred prosthetic devices have through passages, the interspatial dimensions which are sufficient to permit several layers of mammalian cells to form within each passage. The invading fibroblast cells commence formation of collagen leading to connective tissue while macrophages and extracellular enzymes degrade the material, and newly formed capillary vessels penetrate the prosthesis and provide blood containing oxygen and nutrients which further the formation of organized tissue around as well as within the prosthetic device. |