Some batches of the products have been recalled in the United States after the exposure of a body-snatching scandal that may have involved the corpse of celebrated broadcaster Alistair Cooke.

The Health Ministry says the products, which can be used in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, were not commercially imported, but they could have been bought privately by surgeons.

"We believe the likelihood that any affected batches have been brought into this country is very low, but we are double-checking with doctors in New Zealand," chief clinical adviser Sandy Dawson said.

Some batches of three products – AlloDerm, Graft Jacket and Repliform – have been recalled by the US Federal Drug Administration because of fears they were contaminated with tissue taken illegally from bodies in American funeral homes.

Bones, ligaments and skin – many of them aged and potentially diseased – were traded to legitimate companies which used them to manufacture medical products.

Though the products are not formally approved for use in New Zealand, doctors can import them without informing health authorities if they believe there is a clinical need.

The Health Ministry is contacting district health boards, private hospitals and doctors to find out if they have imported the affected batches from Australia or the US.

They will urgently contact any patients who may have been given the contaminated tissue and advise them to have blood tests for HIV/Aids, hepatitis C and syphillis.

Anyone who had had cosmetic or reconstructive surgery in Australia and believed they may have been exposed to the products should contact the surgeon or hospital where they were treated.

Wellington plastic surgeon John Masters said AlloDerm was a "brilliant" product used for reconstructive surgery on burns or other trauma patients to strengthen their skin. The other two products were relatively unknown here.

He believed the process of making the product would remove any risk of infection. "But not all of the products go through the process that AlloDerm does and some of them are used in a slightly more raw state."

This is cache, read story here