Surgery – Instruments – Orthopedic instrumentation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-24
2001-12-11
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3732)
Surgery
Instruments
Orthopedic instrumentation
C433S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328745
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a palate expander. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for expanding a palate in a posterior direction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Velopharyngeal incompetence is a condition in which the palate cannot adequately seal off the oral cavity from the nasal cavity, resulting in abnormal speech. It is sometimes present in patients who have had a cleft palate repaired, but it can also be caused by other conditions such as congenital palatal insufficiency, a situation in which the palate is too short to reach the posterior pharyngeal wall. Many corrective procedures for velopharyngeal incompetence have been described, including palatoplasties, pharyngoplasties, and pharyngeal flaps. No single operation has been predictively effective.
One of the main focuses of this invention, but not the only focus, is on cleft palate patients. These patients have been treated with a procedure whereby two portions of a divided palate have been joined together. In many instances the resulting repaired palate is short or relatively immobile, resulting in velopharyngeal incompetence to the extent that the patients have speech problems (often hypernasal speech).
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for treating velopharyngeal incompetence.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for lengthening a palate in the posterior direction.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for improving the speech of a patient with hypernasal speech such as may be observed after a cleft palate is repaired.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the discussion below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, a patient's velopharyngeal incompetence is treated by causing a palate to be lengthened in the posterior direction. This procedure is known as “distraction osteogenesis.” The palate is divided in a transverse fashion, and then an extender having “foot pads” is affixed to the separated sections of the palate. The extender comprises two main sections that are moved relative to each other by mechanical means, each section having one or two foot pads that are attached to a section of the separated palate. The extender is adjusted regularly to cause the anterior and posterior palate sections to slowly move apart The space between the sections tends to fill in with bone according to natural processes of healing. The result is that after an appropriate period of time the patient has a palate that is longer and now extends more posteriorly than before, thus helping to correct velopharyngeal incompetence.
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patent: 5904479 (1999-05-01), Staples
patent: 6174162 (2001-01-01), Pozzi
Cowan Liebowitz & Latman P.C.
Dippert William H.
Mancene Gene
Priddy Michael B.
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
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