US 7662155 B2
The implant according to the invention is intended to be used as a replacement for an orbita bottom and optionally also for the medial orbita wall. The implant comprises the form of a single-piece preformed plate or grid which comprises a first segment, a second segment and a third segment. The first segment is designed in accordance with the form of the orbita bottom and the second segment is designed according to the form of the medial side-wall. The first and second segments adjoin each other along a first preset breaking line. The third segment adjoins the first segment and is arranged for fixing the implant to the lateral orbita edge.
1. Implant for use as a replacement for an orbita bottom and optionally also for the medial orbita wall in the form of a single-piece preformed plate that comprises a first segment, a second segment and a third segment, and
wherein the first segment is formed in accordance with an orbita bottom and comprises an elevation, the second segment is formed according to the medial wall, and the second segment is removable from the first segment along a first preset breaking line that adjoins the first and second segments, and
wherein the third segment is arranged for fixing the implant at a lateral orbita edge.
2. Implant for use as a replacement for an orbita bottom in the form of a single-piece preformed grid that comprises a first segment, a second segment and a third segment, and
wherein the first segment is formed in accordance with an orbita bottom and comprises an elevation, and the second segment is formed according to the medial side-wall and wherein said first and second segments adjoin along a first preset breaking line, and
wherein the third segment is arranged for fixing the implant at the lateral orbita edge.
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17. An orbita implant for use to repair an orbita bottom, comprising:
(a) a first segment, formed in accordance with the orbita bottom, comprising a basic side and an opposite side, a first lateral side extending between the basic side and the opposite side, and an elevation located proximate to the opposite side, wherein the elevation is a convex surface feature on the first segment covering a medically significant portion of the first segment;
(b) a second segment, formed in accordance to a medial side-wall and angularly offset with respect to the first segment, the second segment removably adjoined to the first segment along a first preset breaking line opposite the first lateral side; and
(c) a third segment, arranged for fixing the implant at a lateral orbita edge, the third segment connected to the first segment.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a preformed areal implant for an orbita which can be used as a replacement for an orbita bottom and optionally also for the medial orbita wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
For surgical treatment of fractures in the orbita, inter alia meshes (grids) or plates made of titan or other materials are used. These are available in different patterns and strengths and are designed to be flat for distribution purposes.
Intraoperatively, the surgeon has to fold and bend these meshes manually in order to reproduce the desired anatomical structures. Here, it is not always possible to reach, to clearly define and to reconstruct the deeper anatomical structures of the orbita funnel. Moreover, the result strongly depends on the experience of the surgeon.
If a defect in a deeper part of the orbita cannot be compensated for, the consequences are double images (diplopia), sinking-in of the eye (enopthalmus) and disturbances of motility. In the worst case, excessive manipulation on the eye or on the optical nerve during the operation may result in the loss of sight, so the meshes should not be inserted into the orbita too many times. US 2004/0054372 A1 discloses a fully biodegradable fiber reinforced composite adapted for use as a medical implant and a method for obtaining an anatomically shaped preform.
The object of the present invention is to provide an anatomically preformed areal implant for use as a replacement for an orbita bottom and optionally also for the medial orbita wall which enables an improved structure reproduction and a simplification for the surgeon.
The object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by means of an implant as defined in claim 1. The implant according to the invention has the major advantage that it is form-closed with the orbita bottom and the medial wall and that it ideally replaces or reconstructs the essential anatomical structures.
An underlying idea of the present invention is that the implant for use as a replacement of an orbita bottom is built in the form of a single-piece preformed plate which comprises a first segment, a second segment and a third segment. The first segment is designed in accordance with the form of the orbita bottom, and the second segment is designed in accordance with the form of the medial side-wall. They adjoin each other along a first preset breaking line. The third segment adjoins the first segment and is arranged for attaching the implant at the lateralo-caudale orbita edge.
The three-segment construction enables a safe insertion of the implant during an operation. The implant is precisely fitted in the eye socket by the second insert segment. During the operation, the implant is displaced in the eye socket into the direction of the medial side-wall, until the second segment or the first preset breaking line adjoins the latter. The depth to which the implant is to be inserted into the eye socket is determined by the third segment.
Frequently, a damage to the orbita bottom goes along with a damage to the medial orbita wall. A reconstruction of the medial orbita wall is ensured by the second segment. If the of the pre-operative check-up reveals that the medial orbita wall is intact, the surgeon can easily remove the segment from the implant along the preset breaking line.
The implant is suited for the reconstruction of the orbita bottom. According to the convex curvature of the eye socket or the eye, the first segment can be curved in a convex form at least in a front section which adjoins the latero-caudale orbita edge. In a more deeply located region of the eye socket there is an elevation, namely a convex curvature directed into the eye socket. During an operation, only the convex part of the orbita bottom in the vicinity of the lateral orbita edge below the eye is essentially visible to the surgeon. Therefore, he has considerable difficulty to manually reconstruct the concave elevation in the implant in a correct anatomical form during the operation. Extensive tests have shown that the elevation is essentially for the alignment and support of the eye in the eye socket. Deviations of the elevation regarding location and height of more than 1 mm already cause significant misalignments of the eye and sight disturbances. According to the invention, is has been recognized that the elevation is essential. With this elevation, the implant is preformed anatomically correctly. An adoption of the form by the surgeon is therefore not necessary.
Thorough examinations of scull forms reveal that the individual deviations of the eye sockets are only minimal and that the eye sockets can essentially be categorized into twelve different categories. Therefore, also only twelve different preformed implants are necessary. The choice of the correct implant can be determined by the surgeon based on simply identifiable characteristics of the patient such as sex, diameter of the eye, etc.
The manufacture of an implant can be achieved in a method as described in the unpublished earlier German application DE 10 2004 058 427. Particularly, DE 10 2004 058 427 also discloses methods for determining the form of the orbita bottom of the medial side-wall and the lateral orbita edge.
Embodiments and preferred refinements are defined in the dependent claims.
The third segment may be preformed in accordance with the lateral orbita edge.
According to an embodiment, the implant comprises a second preset breaking line in the first segment for separating a part of the first segment which is turned away from the third segment from the implant. The depth of the eye socket is a parameter that may individually vary. It may be determined by a simple examination before the operation. An adoption of the length of the implant can be achieved by shortening it along the second preset breaking line.
In another embodiment, the implant comprises a mesh instead of a plate. The first and/or second preset breaking line can run along a grid stay. This enables a smooth edge after breaking away partial pieces. Thus, upon insertion of the implant, no injuries to the smooth parts of the eye are caused.
The present invention is explained in detail in the following description with reference to the attached figures. In the figures:
In the Figures, the same reference signs denote the same or similar elements.
In the following embodiments, the geometrical form of the implant is reduced to a few geometrical features.
Adjoining the side 13 and the lateral sides 12, 14, the first segment 10 includes an elevation 40. In the illustration of
The first segment 10 is adapted to the essential structures of the posterior medial part and the anterior lateral part of the eye socket.
A second segment 20 adjoins the first lateral side 12. This is preferably trapezoidal or triangular. The second segment 20 is essentially planar. It is adapted to the form of the medial orbita wall.
A third segment 30 adjoins the basic side 11. Preferably, the third segment 30 does not extend over the full length of the basic side 11, as depicted in
The depth of the implant, i.e. the length of the lateral sides 12, 14 can be adjusted by breaking off a part of the implant 1 along a preset breaking line 15, 25. The depth of the eye socket can be determined individually for any patient by means of a simple measurement.
The second segment 20 mainly serves as a replacement for a damaged medial orbita wall. Should the medial orbita wall be not damaged, the second segment 20 can be broken off by a preformed preset breaking line along the lateral side 12. Occasionally, the surgeon will remove seams along the preset breaking line by means of a sharp blade or rasp.
The materials used for manufacturing the plate or the grid can be made of titan, titan compounds or tissue-resorbing materials. The thickness of the grid or the plate lies between 0.2 and 1.5 mm.
Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventor to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of his contribution to the art.