Soft tissue repair allografts and methods for preparing same

A method for producing a dermal tissue form useful for soft tissue repair and having a first exposed surface consisting essentially of reticular dermis, an opposite second exposed surface consisting essentially of reticular dermis, and a desired thickness therebetween, the method comprising the steps of:

• (1) providing a donor tissue including a skin having:
• (a) an epidermis;
• (b) a dermis underlying the epidermis, the dermis including a papillary dermis adjacent the epidermis, a reticular dermis distal to the epidermis, and a papillary-reticular dermis interface between the papillary dermis and reticular dermis;
• and
• (c) a hypodermis underlying the reticular dermis and containing adipose tissue;
• (2) forming the first exposed surface consisting essentially of reticular dermis by making a first cut into the reticular dermis, along a plane substantially parallel to the papillary-reticular dermis interface;
• (3) forming the second exposed surface consisting essentially of reticular dermis by making a second cut into the reticular dermis, which is spaced the desired thickness apart from the first exposed surface and along a plane substantially parallel to the papillary-reticular dermis interface;
• (4) separating a portion of the donor tissue which includes the hypodermis and a portion of the reticular dermis attached to the hypodermis;
• and
• (5) separating a portion of the donor tissue which includes the epidermis, the papillary dermis, the papillary-reticular dermis interface, and a portion of the reticular dermis adjacent the papillary-reticular dermis interface, to produce the dermal tissue form which consists essentially of reticular dermis and has uniform density and uniform porosity between the first and second exposed surfaces.