SURGICAL IMPLANT AND MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20070185488A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inion Oy (Beijing Naton Technology Group Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Inion Oy (Beijing Naton Technology Group Company Limited)
• Inventors: Pohjonen, Timo, Happonen, Harri, Kaikkonen, Auvo, Lindgren, Totti, Puhakka, Toni
• Application Number:
  US11/624,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20070185488A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/17.160
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/06 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds A61L31/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/14 Materials characterised by their function or physical properties , e.g. injectable or lubricating compositions, shape-memory materials, surface modified materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2071/022 Annealing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 71/0063 for changing crystallisation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 71/02 Thermal after-treatment B29C71/0063 and B29C71/0072 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0041 Crystalline
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 71/00 Compositions of polyethers obtained by reactions forming an ether link in the main chain of polyacetals C08L59/00; of epoxy resins C08L63/00; of polythioether-ethers C08L81/02; of polyether-sulfones C08L81/06; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers

Abstract

A surgical implant and a method for manufacturing the same. The surgical implant has a body comprising polyaryletherketone (PAEK). Said polyaryletherketone is a homopolymer and a first section of the body comprises a polyaryletherketone that has a crystallization peak in its DSC-curve.

Claims

1. A surgical implant having a body comprising polyaryletherketone (PAEK), wherein said polyaryletherketone is a homopolymer and that a first section of the body comprises polyaryletherketone having a crystallization peak in its DSC-curve upon heating in a calorimeter.

2. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polyaryletherketone in said first section is optically amorphous.

3. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the degree of crystallinity of the polyaryletherketone does not exceed 18%.

4. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the whole implant is made from polyaryletherketone having a crystallization peak in its DSC-curve, optionally filled with a filler material.

5. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the homopolymer has an inhomogeneous form in such a manner that a second section of the body comprises the same polyaryletherketone as the first section but has no crystallization peak in its DSC-curve.

6. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 5, wherein the polyaryletherketone having no crystallization peak in its DSC-curve has a degree of crystallinity of at least about 20%.

7. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 5, wherein the implant is a plate for supporting tissues, the plate comprising at least two fixing holes that extend through the plate from an upper surface to a lower surface of the plate, and a forming section between the fixing holes, said first section being arranged in at least one forming section, and said second section being arranged in the vicinity of at least one of the holes.

8. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polyaryletherketone in the first section has a degree of crystallinity not exceeding 10%.

9. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polyaryletherketone in the first section has a degree of crystallinity not exceeding 5%.

10. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 5 wherein the polyaryletherketone in the second section has a degree of crystallinity of 25% or more.

11. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein the degree of crystallinity of the polyaryletherketone in the first section is at least 15% lower than the degree of crystallinity of the polyaryletherketone in the second section.

12. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is a tendon anchor.

13. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is a tack used for sutureless soft tissue to bone fixation.

14. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is a suture anchor used for soft tissue to bone fixation.

15. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is a spinal cage.

16. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is a cable tie.

17. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is a mesh plate.

18. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polyaryletherketone is selected from the following group:

polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherketone (PEK), poly-etherketoneketone (PEKK), polyetheretherketoneketone (PEEKK) and polyetherketoneetherketoneketone (PEKEKK).

19. A surgical implant as claimed in claim 1, wherein said polyaryletherketone is filled with reinforcing fibres.

20. A Method for manufacturing a surgical implant, the implant having a body comprising polyaryletherketone (PAEK), the method comprising steps of:

selecting manufacturing material(s) of said implant, said material(s) comprising polyaryletherketone (PAEK),

heating the polyaryletherketone in a molten state,

forming the implant from said manufacturing material(s), and

processing the implant so that the body has a first section that comprises polyaryletherketone having a crystallization peak in its DSC-curve upon heating in a calorimeter.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the polyaryletherketone in said first section is optically amorphous.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the degree of crystallinity of the polyaryletherketone does not exceed 18%.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the implant is processed in such a manner that essentially all the polyaryletherketone in the body has a degree of crystallinity not exceeding 18%.

24. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the implant is processed in such a manner that essentially all the polyaryletherketone in the body has a crystallization peak in its DSC-curve,

heating selected section(s) of the body such that an inhomogenous structure of the body is generated, whereby

the body comprises one or more first sections where the polyaryletherketone has a crystallization peak in its DSC-curve, and one or more second sections where the polyaryletherketone has no crystallization peak in its DSC-curve.

25. A method as claimed in claim 20, comprising

forming the body of the implant, the body having essentially distinguishable cross-sectional areas,

controlling the cooling rate of the body in such a manner that the polyaryletherketone comprised by the section(s) of the body having smaller cross-sectional areas cools in an amorphous state, and the polyaryletherketone comprised by the section(s) of the body having larger cross-sectional areas cools in a crystalline state.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, comprising forming the implant in a mould that comprises two or more sections and wherein at least one section is at a lower temperature than another section.