Ball-shaped fiber implant, and method and device for inserting the implant
First Claim
1. An implant comprising:
- an elongate fiber bent in a plurality of locations along the length thereof to form a generally ball shaped structure, the fiber of the ball shaped structure being unbiased such that each of the bends in the ball shaped fiber can be formed as movement of the fiber is resisted, wherein the fiber includes a hollow portion containing a drug capable of being released after the fiber is implanted in a body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In the method proposed, the implant material in the form of a fibre is unwound from a bobbin (10) with the aid of a stream of air (24) and injected through a tube (19) into the body (22). In front of the distal opening (20) of the fibre injection tube, the implant material forms a coherent, open-pore structure in the form of a ball of fibre (25). The fibre-injection tube (19) can be a syringe needle, a catheter or an endoscope tube. This enables the implant (25) to be inserted using minimum-invasive surgery. The size and shape of the implant thus produced can be very variable and can be determined intra-operatively. Various implant materials and fibre shapes can be used. Possible applications of the implant are in the filling of body cavities, systems for the controlled release of systemically acting drugs or chemotherapeutic agents, the induction of tissue, cell transplantation and therapeutic embolization.
157 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An implant comprising:
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an elongate fiber bent in a plurality of locations along the length thereof to form a generally ball shaped structure, the fiber of the ball shaped structure being unbiased such that each of the bends in the ball shaped fiber can be formed as movement of the fiber is resisted, wherein the fiber includes a hollow portion containing a drug capable of being released after the fiber is implanted in a body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An implant comprising:
an elongate fiber bent in a plurality of locations along the length thereof to form a generally ball shaped structure, the fiber being formed of a material including alginate, the fiber of the ball shaped structure being unbiased such that each of the bends in the ball shaped fiber can be formed as movement of the fiber is resisted. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A system comprising:
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an implant comprising an elongate fiber bent in a plurality of locations along the length thereof to form a generally ball shaped structure, the fiber of the ball shaped structure being unbiased such that each of the bends in the ball shaped fiber can be formed as movement of the fiber is resisted; and
a fluid at least partially surrounding the generally ball shaped structure, the fluid including a biologically active substance, wherein the fiber is formed of a material including alginate.
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25. An implant comprising:
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an elongate fiber bent in a plurality of locations along the length thereof to form a generally ball shaped structure, wherein the generally ball shaped structure is at least partially surrounded by an adhesive for stabilizing the generally ball shaped structure, and wherein the fiber is formed of a material including alginate.
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Specification