Directional tissue expander

摘要

An expandable mammary tissue implant including a shell having an anterior face and a posterior face, the anterior face having an upper pole portion and a lower pole portion meeting at an apex, and an injection zone for receiving fluid therethrough to inflate the implant. The implant further includes a vertical tether member having first and second ends and a central region therebetween having an aperture therethrough. The central region is coupled to the anterior face of the implant at a location such that the injection zone is positioned within the aperture in the central region. The first and second ends of the vertical tether member are coupled to the posterior face of the implant.

主权项

1. An expandable mammary tissue implant comprising:
an inflatable shell having an anterior face and a posterior face having a periphery, the anterior face having an upper pole region and a lower pole region meeting at an apex, and an injection zone for receiving fluid therethrough to inflate the implant, the upper pole region being an upper portion of the shell when an implant recipient is standing and the lower pole region being a lower portion of the shell when the implant recipient is standing; a first reinforcing sheet coupled to the shell and extending around the entire periphery of the posterior face, the first reinforcing sheet having a peripheral rim portion extending upward from the periphery of the posterior face into the anterior face by a predetermined distance to an upper periphery of the first reinforcing sheet such that the first reinforcing sheet does not extend along the entire anterior face; a second reinforcing sheet coupled to the shell and extending along only the anterior face of the shell from the upper pole region to near the apex: wherein the first reinforcing sheet overlaps or abuts the second reinforcing sheet only at or adjacent the upper periphery of the first reinforcing sheet in the upper pole region such that the upper pole region is entirely reinforced as between the first and second reinforcing sheets and wherein a portion of the lower pole region is not reinforced by either the first or second reinforcing sheets.