| abstract |
A sterile shaped prosthetic device, suitable for insertion ninto a mammalian body, is at least partly composed of a nbioresorbable material that is digestible by macrophages, its nsurface properties favor the attachment and adhesion of nfibroblast cells capable of producing collagen for organized nconnective tissues, and the material itself or its degradation nproducts can induce in vivo the formation of new capillary nvessels (termed a "vasotropic" effect herein). Preferred nprosthetic devices have through passages, the interspatial ndimensions which are sufficient to permit several layers of nmammalian cells to form within each passage. The invading nfibroblast cells commence formation of collagen leading to nconnective tissue while macrophages and extracellular ennzymes degrade the material, and newly formed capillary nvessels penetrate the prosthesis and provide blood containning oxygen and nutrients which further the formation of norganized tissue around as well as within the prosthetic ndevice. |