Hydrogel balloon prosthesis for nucleus pulposus
US8287595B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 25, 2006 |
| Grant date | Oct 16, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 28, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F2002/444
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A prosthesis for replacing or supplementing a nucleus pulposus of an intervertebral disk is an expandable container having flexible walls, the container being adapted to be inserted into a central cavity of an intervertebral disk through a narrow cannula, and the flexible walls are made from a biocompatible hydrogel. A preferred hydrogel is a cryogel formed from an aqueous solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone). The prosthesis may be prepared by dip-coating a mandrel with an aqueous solution of a hydrogel-forming polymer or mixture of such polymers, gelling the coated solution by chilling, and subjecting the gelled coating to a series of repeated freeze-thaw treatments. In use, the prosthesis is inserted into a central cavity of an intervertebral disk and filled with biocompatible material, e.g., a biocompatible liquid, a biocompatible polymer, and a biocompatible hydrogel, particularly a thermogelling hydrogel.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.