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US 6,328,745 B1Granted
Palate expander
AssigneeThe Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
InventorJeffrey A. Ascherman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An expander for lengthening a patient's palate comprises two substantially rigid sections, each of which sections has one or more downwardly extending members capable of being affixed to a surface; and a threading system attached to each section, the threading system being capable of predictably adjusting the spacing between the rigid sections. The expander is useful for lengthening a patient's palate, for example, for the treatment of velopharyngeal incompetence.
Claims3
A palate expander system comprising:
- a first rigid section having a plane, having two or more members extending downwardly out of the plane, each member having a flat surface capable of being attached to a surface, and having one or more rigid guide members extending away from the first rigid section,
- a second rigid section having a plane, having two or more members extending downwardly out of the plane, each member having a flat surface capable of being attached to a surface, and having one or more receptacles to receive the one or more rigid guide members extending from the first rigid section,
- a threading system connecting the first and second rigid sections and capable of predictably adjusting the spacing between the first and second rigid sections, and
- screws for attaching the downwardly extending member flat surfaces to a patient's palate,
- wherein the first and second rigid sections can be incrementally adjusted to cause the palate to expand.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.