Collagen tubes for nerve regeneration
AssigneeEd. Geistlich Soehne AG
InventorsMyron Spector, Lothar Schloesser, Peter Geistlich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Injured nerves are reconnected and regenerated by inserting injured nerve ends into a collagen tube having an outer compact smooth barrier surface preventing ingrowth of connective tissue, avoiding formation of scar tissue and allowing for unimpaired healing of injured nerves. The tube has an inner fibrous surface opposite the outer smooth barrier surface. The soft fibrous inner surface of the tube facilitates nerve growth promotion.
Claims22
A nerve regeneration tube for reconnecting nerve ends, the tube formed of a single sheet of resorbable sidewall material consisting essentially of collagen sheet material having a compact, smooth outer barrier surface so as to inhibit cell adhesion thereon and act as a barrier to prevent passage of cells therethrough, the sheet material further having a fibrous inner surface opposite the smooth barrier surface, said tube having an inner diameter of about 0.5-5 mm, said tube having opposite ends into which ends of nerves inserted for reconnection and regeneration of said nerves.
A nerve regeneration tube for reconnecting nerve ends, the tube formed of a single sheet of a resorbable sidewall material comprising collagen material having a compact, smooth outer barrier surface so as to inhibit cell adhesion thereon and act as a barrier to prevent passage of cells therethrough, the sidewall of the tube further having a fibrous inner surface opposite the smooth barrier surface, said tube having an inner diameter of about 0.5-5 mm, said tube having opposite ends into which ends of nerves are inserted for reconnection and regeneration of said nerves.
A method of producing a nerve regeneration tube, comprising:
- a) providing a sheet of collagen material having a compact, smooth outer barrier surface so as to inhibit cell adhesion thereon and act as a barrier to prevent passage of cells therethrough, and a fibrous surface opposite the smooth barrier surface;
- and
- b) forming said sheet into a tube having a sidewall with said compact, smooth outer barrier surface oriented outwardly, said sidewall having an inner surface comprised of said fibrous surface opposite said smooth barrier surface;
- wherein said sheet of collagen material has two opposite side edges, and the two side edges of said sheet are brought together to form said tube from said sheet;
- further including a step of joining said two side edges together to form said tube from said sheet;
- wherein the two side edges are joined together by sutures or adhesive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.