Prosthesis (i.e. – artificial body members) – parts thereof – or ai – Larynx – trachea – tracheobronchial prosthesis or combination...
Patent
1997-11-10
1999-08-10
Isabella, David J.
Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or ai
Larynx, trachea, tracheobronchial prosthesis or combination...
12820716, 606196, A61F 220, A61F 204
Patent
active
059351659
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a voice prosthesis for patients whose larynx has been removed. The voice prosthesis is intended for placing in an opening in the wall between the oesophagus and the windpipe, in which case the windpipe opens out into the neck by way of a stoma, which prosthesis comprises a tubular element which is provided with an internal, throughgoing cavity and at one end has an external enlargement, and at the other end has retaining means which are movable between a contracted position and a spread position, which prosthesis with the retaining means in the contracted position can be fitted by way of the windpipe stoma in such a way that the tubular element goes into the opening and the external enlargement comes to rest against the wall part of the windpipe around said opening, and the retaining means can be fitted against the wall part of the oesophagus around said opening after the tubular element has been placed in said opening.
Such a voice prosthesis is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,119. This known voice prosthesis has a tubular element which has at both ends an external, circular flange. For the purpose of placing the voice prosthesis, the flange which has to go into the oesophagus is held in the contracted state by means of a cap placed thereon. Said cap, which consists of a gelatine, dissolves shortly after the voice prosthesis has been placed in position, under the influence of the environment prevailing in the oesophagus, and the flange expands to the spread position as a result of its initial tension. The fixing of this voice prosthesis is now complete.
This known voice prosthesis has various disadvantages. For example, the initial tension of the contracted flange must not be too great, otherwise the gelatine cap would give way too soon. Moreover, tissue damage must not occur during removal. The result of this is that the retaining action of the flange in its spread position is limited, which means that there is a risk of the voice prosthesis becoming dislodged and going into the windpipe.
In order to limit that risk, the prosthesis is sometimes fixed additionally with adhesive strip or adhesive plaster. Such an additional fixing is not so desirable, since it is visible and is consequently tiresome for the user, and it involves an additional action.
Another disadvantage is that basically the voice prosthesis can be used and checked reliably only by a specialist (ENT specialist), especially since the fitting of this voice prosthesis is found to be a difficult operation and cannot be checked definitively without an x-ray. Besides, due to the materials used, the prosthesis is susceptible to fungal infections.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a voice prosthesis which does not have these disadvantages. That object is achieved through the fact that the retaining means comprise at least one projection which can be gripped by a control unit, operating through said cavity, for moving each projection between the abovementioned positions.
In the case of the voice prosthesis according to the invention each projection, by means of which it must ultimately be retained, is held in the contracted position by means of a separate control unit. Such a control unit makes it possible to exert a reasonably great force on the projections. As a result of this, the initial tension by means of which the projections are forced to their spread position, and thus the retaining force of the voice prosthesis, can be selected at such a high level that the risk of the voice prosthesis becoming dislodged can be prevented entirely.
The retaining means can have at least two projections, extending radially relative to the tubular element and distributed at regular intervals over the periphery of said tubular element, which projections can move from the retracted position to the spread position under the influence of an initial tension. An embodiment with three projections distributed at regular intervals is preferred.
Good results are obtained in the case of an embodiment in which each projection is
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Isabella David J.
Koh Choon P.
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