METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF COLLAGENOUS TISSUES FOR BIOPROSTHESES

Collagenous tissue as a biomaterial possesses many favourable characte ristics and advantages over synthetic materials. The resemblance to hu man tissue suggests that it has a performance advantage over alternati ve materials. This advantage has been exploited to produce clinical de vices that have been implanted in patients for more than a quarter of a century. The method of treating collagenous tissue for bioprostheses has developed from crude exposure of tissue to chemicals to a sophist icated level of considering the biochemical, chemical, engineering and clinical aspects of the process. This review focuses on the various c hemical and physical treatments that have made the bioprostheses possi ble, highlighting the chemical agents and the cross-linking mechanism involved. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited.