IMPLANTABLE NERVE CONDUIT HAVING A POLYMER FIBER SPIRAL GUIDANCE CHANNEL

摘要

A nerve guidance conduit includes a spiral structured porous sheet decorated with channels on its surface and electrospun nanofibers in a parallel alignment with the channels and an outer tubular structure including randomly-oriented nanofibers. Such a structure provides augmented surface areas for providing directional guidance and augmented surfaces for enhancing and peripheral nerve regeneration. The structure also has the mechanical and nutrient transport requirements required over long regeneration periods. To prepare a nerve guidance conduit, porous polymer sheet is prepared by a solvent casting method while using a template of thin rods to form parallel channels on a surface of the sheet. Aligned nanofibers are deposited on the sheet parallel to the channels. The polymer sheet is then wound to form a spiral structure. A dense layer of randomly-oriented nanofibers may be deposited on the outside of the spiral.

主权项

1. A nerve guidance conduit, comprising:
a spiral structured porous sheet defining a lumen extending from a proximal end of said spiral structured porous sheet to a distal end of said spiral structured porous sheet opposite said proximal end, said outer spiral structured porous sheet further defining a proximal chamber at said proximal end and a distal chamber at said distal end, said proximal chamber and said distal chamber being open to said lumen, said proximal chamber being arranged to receive a first stump of a nerve and said distal chamber being arranged to receive a second stump of the nerve such that said nerve guidance conduit bridges a gap between the first and second stumps of the nerve; and a guidance spiral within said lumen and integrated with said spiral structured porous sheet, said guidance spiral including at least two layers of another porous material, said at least two layers wound in a second spiral geometry, said guidance spiral including at least one surface channel on a surface of one of said at least two layers.