Our Technology
Patients suffering head injuries
who need surgical repair to their damaged skulls are usually
given bone harvested from another part of the body or a
titanium plate. Finding replacement bone often proves difficult;
a titanium implant, although more readily available, carries
some risk of infection and can cost more than S$1,000 including
surgical cost. When you have a need for revision, you will
need to take the titanium implants out plus the fixation
screws. Natural Bone matrices can also be very expensive
given the high cost of processing the human bone.
A group of Singapore engineers and clinicians has developed
a material made of biodegradable plastic to address this
problem. The biocompatible polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer
provides a base for the bone of the skull to regenerate
and cover over a hole,
A soft- and hard-tissue-compatible bioresorbable material,
PCL has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration
for a number of medical and drug-delivery devices.
The scaffold can be fabricated to fit the patient's defect
and be cut to size rapidly and accurately. It can also be
fashioned easily for minor shape adjustment in the surgery
room by the use of warm water since the PCL is a thermoplastic
with a softening temperature just below 60°C. The slow degradation
and assimilation of the polymer over 24 months allows good
bone healing, provides adequate mechanical support, and
maintains the shape of the skull without problems.
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