The Health and Welfare Ministry on Friday denied responsibility for the widespread use of imported dura mater -- it estimates 200,000 transplants of the human tissue have taken place nationwide -- which has been linked to the contraction of the deadly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
The denial came in the announcement of results of an in-house investigation.
The ministry conducted the investigation after dozens of patients developed CJD after receiving transplants of the German dura mater -- the fibrous membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord.