An apparatus and method for the reconstruction of a previously torn
ligament using a tissue-engineered ligament. The tissue-engineered
ligament includes a scaffold of biocompatible material having at least one
layer and forming a sheet. The scaffold is placed in a cultured medium for
seeding with fibrocyte forming cells. The seeded scaffold is then placed
in an incubator to increase the number of cells. The seeded scaffold is
then formed into a slender structure suitable for implantation. The method
of making a tissue-engineered ligament includes forming a scaffold of
biocompatible material having at least one layer forming a sheet. Next,
the scaffold sheet is seeded with fibrocyte forming cells. The method
further includes increasing the number of cells on the seeded scaffold and
forming a slender structure suitable for implantation from the scaffold.
