Hydroxyapatite/bioresorbable-polymer composite biomaterials can be used for the bone tissue reconstruction. There are different methods to obtain hydroxyapatite/poly-L-lactide (HAp/PLLA) composite biomaterial, but up to now only hot pressing and forging have been successfully used to produce blocks with mechanical properties similar to the natural bone tissue. By dissolving PLLA polymer mixed with HAp, highly porous HAp/PLLA composite biomaterial was obtained. A wide spectrum of blocks with different properties was produced by hot pressing, varying the pressing parameters. HAp/PLLA blocks were implanted into mice (intraperitoneally) and after implantation, the phenomenon was studied histopathologically and by FT-IR spectroscopy. The obtained composite biomaterial blocks have a compressive strength of up to 140 MPa and elasticity module of up to 10 GPa. After implantation, good adhesion of the surrounding tissue on the surface of the implant as well as its integration indicate high degree of its biocompatibility. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.