Breast implant

• US 20020038147A1
• Filed: 10/31/2001
• Published: 03/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Archibald S. Miller III
• Original Assignee: Archibald S. Miller III
• Inventors: Miller, Archibald S. III
• Application Number:
  US09/999,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20020038147A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/12 Mammary prostheses and implants

Abstract

An improved permanently implantable breast tissue prosthesis comprising angularly and immutably attached base and dome envelopes wherein the base envelope is of a substantially triangular shape and the dome envelope is of a substantially discoid shape, each envelope having a shell defining an inner fluid containable chamber and an outer textured surface to be in direct contact with breast tissue and a valve formed as a part of a wall in base and dome envelopes, the valve facilitating the introduction, containment or removal of fluid within the containable chamber of each envelope.

Claims

1. A permanently implantable breast tissue prosthesis assembly comprising:

immutably attached base and dome envelopes each of which has a shell defining a inner fluid containable chambers and an outer textured surface to be in direct contact with breast tissue; and

,

a valve formed as a part of a wall in each of said base and dome envelopes, said valve facilitating the introduction, containment or removal of fluid within the containable chamber of each envelope.

2. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said dome envelope is of substantially discoid shape.

3. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said base envelope is of substantially triangular shape.

4. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said dome and base envelopes are attached at an angle in a manner allowing differential unequal expansion to yield a human breast shape subsequent to introducing fluid to the containment chamber of each envelope.

5. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said dome and base envelopes are attached at an angle between 18°

and 40°

.

6. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein dome and base envelopes are immutably attached via a chemical bonding means.

7. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein dome and base envelopes are immutably attached via a heat bonding means.

8. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein at least one valve formed as a part of a wall in each of said base and dome envelopes is a ball valve.

9. The breast prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said dome and base envelopes are bonded at an angle via a shared common wall.

10. A breast prosthesis assembly that is to be implanted into direct contact with tissue of said breast comprising:

a dome envelope element having a collapsed elastomeric first shell defining a first textured outer surface and enclosing a fillable first lumen, and first valve means integrated as a part of said first outer surface for introducing fluid into said first lumen;

a base element having a collapsed elastomeric second shell defining an second textured outer surface and enclosing a fillable second lumen, and second valve integrated as part of said second outer surface for introducing fluid into said second lumen;

means for immutably attaching a portion of said first outer surface to a portion of said second outer surface to form said assembly.

11. The breast prosthesis of claim 10 wherein said attached envelopes when filled with a fluid have the general shape of a human female breast.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of forming said implant elements further comprises the steps of:

inserting said immutably attached elements into said breast; and

filling said shell of each of said elements with said fluid, wherein the filling of each said shell can occur either pre-insertion or post-insertion.

12. A method for making a breast prosthesis assembly that is to be inserted into a human breast and implanted into direct contact with breast tissue, comprising the steps of:

forming at least two immutably and angularly attached implant elements, wherein each of said elements is defined as having an elastomeric envelope with a shell defining a contiguously textured outer surface, said envelopes having a given volume, and providing as a part of said outer surface a resealable valve means for variably introducing fluid into each said shell to achieve a desired cosmetic shape.