Middle ear ossicular replacement prosthesis having a movable joint
First Claim
1. In a middle ear ossicular replacement prosthesis having a head portion and a shaft portion, the improvement comprising:
- a movable joint connecting said head portion and the captured end of said shaft portion to permit pivotal movement of said shaft portion relative to said head portion, said movable joint being a ball-and-socket joint which permits universal pivotal movement of said shaft portion relative to said head portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improvement in an otic prosthesis of the type used in ossicular reconstruction of the sound-conducting mechanism of the middle ear is provided. The improvement comprises a movable joint which connects a head portion and a shaft portion whereby there is provided a flexible, variably angled prosthesis, which can be readily set in position in the middle ear against the tympanum during surgical implantation. The movable joint permits the so-connected shaft portion to move in at least a single plane normal to the head portion and can itself be readily set against either retained bony elements of the sound-conducting mechanism or against tissue grafted into the aperture (oval window) between the middle and the inner ear. The movable joint is responsive to tympanic vibrations and the prosthesis exerts a minimized pressure on the tympanum during surgical implantation and thereafter it also resists dislodgment within or extrusion from the middle ear. The mounting means is characteristically a ball-and-socket joint whereby the ball is attached to the shaft and the socket to the head.
The head portion of the prosthesis is preferably constructed entirely of a porous, biocompatible material which enables rapid tissue ingrowth. The shaft portion, in a preferred embodiment, is also formed of the same porous material thus enabling tissue ingrowth at the oval window-engaging end of the device.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. In a middle ear ossicular replacement prosthesis having a head portion and a shaft portion, the improvement comprising:
a movable joint connecting said head portion and the captured end of said shaft portion to permit pivotal movement of said shaft portion relative to said head portion, said movable joint being a ball-and-socket joint which permits universal pivotal movement of said shaft portion relative to said head portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Specification