Collagen-based meniscus implants
A method for producing a collagen meniscus implant by obtaining a freshly excised non-human meniscus, rinsing it in an aqueous solution, drying the rinsed meniscus, shaping it to approximate in dimension an average-sized human meniscus, extracting non-collagenous material from the shaped meniscus, and sterilizing it, yielding a collagen meniscus implant containing at least 90% by weight of type I collagen, less than 0.5% by weight of glycosaminoglycan, and less than 600 ppm DNA. Also disclosed is a collagen meniscus implant prepared by the above method. Further provided is a biocompatible and bioresorbable porous implant for meniscus repair. The implant includes a three-dimensional network of collagen fibers oriented in a direction approximating the collagen fiber orientation of a human meniscus. The implant has a size and a contour substantially equivalent to a human meniscus, and has a chemical composition similar to the above-described collagen meniscus implant.
1 . A method for producing a collagen meniscus implant, the method comprising:
obtaining a freshly excised non-human meniscus,
rinsing the non-human meniscus in an aqueous solution,
drying the rinsed non-human meniscus,
shaping the dried non-human meniscus to the dimensions of an average-sized human meniscus,
extracting the shaped non-human meniscus to remove non-collagenous material, and
sterilizing the extracted non-human meniscus, thereby forming the collagen meniscus implant,
wherein the collagen meniscus implant contains 81 to 91 ppm DNA; and the method is free of any enzymatic digesting steps and oxidizing steps.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the collagen meniscus implant has a density of about 0.29 g/cm 3 , contains at least 90% by weight of type I collagen, and less than 0.2% by weight of glycosaminoglycan.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the collagen meniscus implant has a void volume of at least 60% of the total implant volume.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the collagen meniscus implant is biocompatible with a human patient.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the collagen meniscus implant is bioresorbable and is stable in vivo after implantation for a period of 6 to 12 months.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-human meniscus is bovine meniscus.