Assimilable hydrophilic prosthesis
First Claim
1. An assimilable prosthesis than can be implanted in a body cavity, comprising a porous hydrophilic body formed by the removal of solvent by lyophilization or selective leaching, without substantial volume change, from a substantially homogeneous solution in liquid organic solvent of (a), an assimilable normally hydrophobic polymer composed primarily of polymerized units of a saturated, aliphatic hydroxy carboxylic acid, and (b), a small amount of a physiologically acceptable wetting agent, which amount remains in the polymer and is sufficient to impart hydrophilicity to said body.
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Abstract
A porous, hydrophilic, assimilable prosthesis is formed by the removal of solvent, without substantial dimensional change, from a solution of (a), an assimilable polymer composed primarily of polymerized units of an alpha or beta hydroxy carboxylic acid, preferably but not necessarily those having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and (b), a small amount of a physiologically acceptable wetting agent that is sufficient to impart hydrophilicity to the prosthesis. The preferred assimilable polymer is a polylactic acid. The preferred process for making the prosthesis involves the lyophilization of a solution of polylactic acid having a molecular weight of at least 100,000, weight average, at a concentration of at least 31/2% by weight of the solution of the polylactic acid. A variety of physiologically acceptable wetting agents is useful, a preferred class being the alkali metal soaps of fatty acids or of alkyl aryl sulfonic acids.
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Citations
22 Claims
- 1. An assimilable prosthesis than can be implanted in a body cavity, comprising a porous hydrophilic body formed by the removal of solvent by lyophilization or selective leaching, without substantial volume change, from a substantially homogeneous solution in liquid organic solvent of (a), an assimilable normally hydrophobic polymer composed primarily of polymerized units of a saturated, aliphatic hydroxy carboxylic acid, and (b), a small amount of a physiologically acceptable wetting agent, which amount remains in the polymer and is sufficient to impart hydrophilicity to said body.
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14. A process for making an assimilable, porous, hydrophilic article that can be implanted in a body cavity, comprising
preparing a substantially homogeneous solution in a liquid organic solvent of a normally hydrophilic polymer formed of repeating units of the formula: - ##STR4## where, n is 0 or 1;
one of --X and --Y is oxygen, ie, --O--, for connection to another repeating unit, and the other, if present, is R; and
R is H or alkyl up to 18 carbon atoms;
said solution containing a small amount, homogeneously distributed therein, and sufficient to impart hydrophilicity to the article, of a physiologically acceptable wetting agent, and thenremoving the solvent from the solution by lyophilization or selective leaching, without substantial change in volume, to produce the desired porous article, the wetting agent remaining in the polymer and imparting hydrophilicity to the article. - View Dependent Claims (15)
- ##STR4## where, n is 0 or 1;
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16. A process for making an assimilable, porous, hydrophilic article that can be implanted in a body cavity, comprising
admixing a solution of a normally hydrophobic polymer of an aliphatic, saturated, alpha or beta hydroxy carboxylic acid having up to four carbon atoms with a small amount of a physiologically acceptable wetting agent, and removing the solvent from the solution without substantial volume change thereof, by lyophilization or selective leaching, to produce the desired porous article, the wetting agent remaining in the polymer and imparting hydrophilicity to the article.
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19. A process for making an assimilable, porous, hydrophilic article that can be implanted in a body cavity, comprising
admixing a solution of normally hydrophobic polymer of lactic acid having a molecular weight of at least 100,000, weight averge, with a small amount of a physiologically acceptable wetting agent, and freeze-drying the admixture to obtain the desired porous article, the wetting agent remaining in the polymer and imparting hydrophilicity to the article.
Specification