Patent ID: 6156068
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: A61F,A61L,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of resurfacing a femoral condyle comprising:a) hand-shaping into place over at least a portion of the surface of said femoral condyle a sheet of a biodegradable, porous polymeric implant material having substantially uniform porosity, a Young's modulus between about 0.3 and about 1.0 MPa, a Poisson's ratio less than about 0.3, and a porosity between about 60 volume percent and about 90 volume percent, wherein the pore size distribution throughout the material is substantially uniform, and having an average pore size of between about 25 .mu.m and about 400 .mu.m;b) securing said material to existing cartilage on said femoral condyle; andc) allowing cartilage tissue to ingrow into the pores of said material and subsequently allowing said material to biodegrade, whereby the surface of said femoral condyle is covered with a uniform layer of cartilage.