Absorbable tissue expander
First Claim
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1. A tissue expander comprising:
- a fluid-tight or semipermeable envelope having a bio-absorbable biocompatible shell defining a chamber having a predefined bio-absorption rate, said envelope being inflatable upon infusion of a fluid or a gel into said chamber and deflatable upon removal of fluid or gel from said chamber;
means for controlled inflation of said envelope after said tissue expander is implanted in a tissue; and
means for controlled deflation of said envelope after inflation in said tissue without removing said tissue expander from said tissue other than by degradation in situ.
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Abstract
The invention relates to an absorbable implantable tissue expander device that can be used in surgeries as a gradually diminishing space filler. The absorbable tissue expander has a fluid-tight or semipermeable envelope having a bio-absorbable biocompatible shell defining a chamber. The envelope is inflatable upon infusion of a fluid into the chamber and deflatable upon removal of the fluid from the chamber. The tissue expander also enables the controlled inflation and deflation of the envelope after the device is implanted in a tissue.
197 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A tissue expander comprising:
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a fluid-tight or semipermeable envelope having a bio-absorbable biocompatible shell defining a chamber having a predefined bio-absorption rate, said envelope being inflatable upon infusion of a fluid or a gel into said chamber and deflatable upon removal of fluid or gel from said chamber;
means for controlled inflation of said envelope after said tissue expander is implanted in a tissue; and
means for controlled deflation of said envelope after inflation in said tissue without removing said tissue expander from said tissue other than by degradation in situ. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A tissue expander comprising:
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a plurality of fluid-tight or semipermeable envelopes, each envelope comprising a chamber defined by a bio-absorbable biocompatible shell having a predefined bio-absorption rate and being inflatable upon infusion of a fluid or a gel, and deflatable upon removal of said fluid or said gel from said chamber, wherein each envelope shares a portion of its shell with another envelope; and
means for the controlled inflation and deflation of said envelopes after said expander is implanted in a tissue. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification