Types of scaffold for meniscal replacement
Donated cadaver meniscus and collagen-engineered meniscus are now commonly-used to replace damaged meniscus tissue.
Although the substituted material is not alive, the hope is that blood vessels and meniscus cells will migrate into the substitute and start to produce the fibres that will eventually give strength to the implant.
"....Autologous, allogenic, and artificial meniscal substitutes are available which have evolved in recent years....While autologous meniscal substitution has not been successful, the techniques of meniscal allograft transplantation evolved to become the current standard-of-care for total meniscal insufficiency. Increasing clinical evidence for the efficacy of artificial scaffold-based meniscal substitutes has emerged for the treatment of irreparable partial meniscal injuries....."