Patent ID: 7012126

Claim:
A method of repairing bony defects, comprising: filling empty spaces within a bone during an operation with a fluid prepolymer comprising a polymer prepared from at least one lactone monomer selected from the group consisting of ε- caprolactone, trimethylene carbonate, glycolide, L-lactide, D-lactide, DL-lactide, p- dioxanone, 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-2-one, 1,4-dioxepan-2-one and 1,5-dioxepan-2-one, said prepolymer being a liquid at 65° C. or at a lower temperature and comprising coumarin ester endgroups, wherein the polymer further comprises at least one inorganic compound selected from the group consisting of alpha-tricalcium phosphate, beta-tricalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, barium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate and hydroxyapatite, and wherein the inherent viscosity of the polymer is between about 0.05 dL/g and about 0.8 dL/g as determined in a 0.1 g/dL solution of hexafluoroisoproanol at 25° C.; and then irradiating said fluid prepolymer in vivo, thereby forming a polymeric network in vivo.