Patent ID: 8663086

Claim:
A method for reinforcing an anal sphincter around an anal opening of a patient, comprising: providing an elongate graft structure having a graft body comprised of membranous extracellular matrix tissue harvested from a source tissue of warm-blooded vertebrate animal and decellularized, the membranous extracellular matrix material having structural protein fibers retained in a non-random orientation that existed in said source tissue, said elongate graft structure having a first end and a second end; making a first skin incision generally to a first side of the anal opening; making a second skin incision generally to a second side of the anal opening; dissecting a tunnel around the anal sphincter; introducing the first end of the graft structure into the first skin incision; after said introducing, first advancing the first end of the graft structure under the skin to and out of the second skin incision, said advancing partially circumscribing said tunnel with said graft structure, leaving a remainder of said tunnel to be circumscribed by said graft structure; after said first advancing, inserting the first end of the graft structure back into the second skin incision; after said inserting, second advancing the first end of the graft structure under the skin to and out of said first skin incision, said second advancing circumscribing the remainder of said tunnel with said graft structure; passing said first end through an opening in said graft structure to create a closed loop of the graft structure; and tightening said closed loop of the graft structure to reinforce the anal sphincter.