Moldable bone-implant material
First Claim
1. A moldable bone-implant material comprising a cohesive mixture of hard filler particles and a biocompatible, biodegradable thermoplastic polymeric binder having fluid-flow properties at or below about 60°
- C.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A moldable bone-implant material containing between about 65%-95% hard filler particles and a binder composed of between about 35%-5% of a biocompatible, biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer which has fluidic flow properties at or below about 60° C. One preferred binder is polylactic acid having a molecular weight between about 400 and 5,000 daltons, and a preferred hard filler is hydroxylapatite. In use, the material is warmed to a temperature which allows molding, and the bone site is filled with the moldable material, which then forms a contour-fitting, semi-rigid implant. The implant retains its contour fit and acquires a rigid final state as the binder in the implant is gradually biodegraded and replaced through tissue ingrowth from the surrounding bone site.
427 Citations
18 Claims
- 1. A moldable bone-implant material comprising a cohesive mixture of hard filler particles and a biocompatible, biodegradable thermoplastic polymeric binder having fluid-flow properties at or below about 60°
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10. A moldable bone-implant material comprising
between about 65%-95% hydroxylapatite particles; - and
a binder composed of between about 35%-5% of a polylactic acid polymer having a molecular weight between about 400 and 5,000 daltons.
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11. A method of filling a bone site with a contour-fitting, rigid-particle bone implant, comprising
providing hard filler particles in the form of a moldable bone-implant material composed of a cohesive mixture of the particles and a biocompatible, biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer binder which has fluid-flow properties at a selected temperature at or below about 60° - C.,
heating the material to a temperature which allows the material to be molded by hand, and - View Dependent Claims (14, 17, 18)
- C.,
- 12. filling the bone site with the moldable material to form a contour-fitting implant at the site,
- 13. where gradual biodegradation of the binder and concommitant ingrowth of surrounding tissue acts to rigidify the implant over a period of several weeks.
Specification