FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to the field of medical technology, in particular to a medical implant, the main object of which is to facilitate regeneration of tissue, in particular soft tissue, in three dimensions in the body of an individual. The medical implant comprises a coil-shaped component arranged between two mesh components.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Within the area of medical surgery, there is a large number of medical operations and treatments that require support during wound healing and subsequently tissue regeneration. A porous three-dimensional (3D) support is sometimes beneficial in order to efficiently accomplish tissue regeneration in three dimensions. It is also in some applications beneficial to have a temporary support, a support that degrades while the tissue regenerates. Degradable polymers, such as polyesters and polycarbonates have been used for decades in medical devices. The advantage with the degradable polymers is that the body can take care of and excrete the degradation products.

Examples of techniques that have been used to fabricate three-dimensional scaffolds are solvent-casting particulate-leaching, gas foaming, electro-spinning, phase separation, melt molding, emulsion freeze drying, solution casting, as well as freeze drying. However, these conventional methods have many limitations; limitations related to reproducibility, difficulties to achieve and design exact pore size, interconnectivity and mechanical properties. The methods have been improved during the last decade and new techniques include for example 3D-printing, 3D-knitting and bio-printing. In comparison to the older methods, 3D printing enables the possibility to produce scaffolds with complex designs which in turn allows homogenous cell distribution. One of the current disadvantages is the production time, which may increase further as the scaffold design becomes more precise and complex.

In addition to the design, which includes pore size, porosity, and interconnectivity, also the mechanical properties of the 3D scaffold are of highest importance. Upon implantation, the scaffold will interact immediately with proteins in the body and will subsequently interact with the cells surrounding the scaffold. Dependent on the mechanical properties of the scaffold at the time of implantation and during degradation, the cell proliferation and differentiation will be influenced to a great extent. The mechanical properties are also important from a usability perspective; it should for example be possible to place the scaffold at the defect area without any problem and the patient should have a pleasant feeling after the surgery.

There is a need for new adaptable, preferably degradable, 3D scaffolds, the mechanical properties of which are easy to design and to vary, depending on the intended clinical application. More particularly, there is a need for a scaffold, which is easy to bend and which during bending maintains its 3D volume (i.e. maintains its height in the z-direction), while being pliable and soft in the x-direction and in the y-direction of the scaffold.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Consequently, there is still a need for further three-dimensional medical implants having a structure which allows rapid tissue ingrowth in combination with possessing adequate pliability and mechanical rigidity for different implant applications within the human or animal body.

The above objectives are achieved by the present disclosure, which is directed to a medical implant, the main object of which is to facilitate regeneration of tissue, in particular soft tissue, in three dimensions (in an x-y-z plane) in the body of an individual.

The medical implant comprises a coil-shaped component, a first mesh component and a second mesh component, wherein each mesh component has a largest surface extending in two directions in the longitudinal plane (i.e. the x-y plane) of the mesh component, and wherein each mesh component has a projected area, which is said largest surface as projected in the x-y plane of the medical implant, where the x-y plane of the medical implant coincides with the x-y plane of the mesh components; and further wherein the coil-shaped component is arranged between the two mesh components, the coil-shaped component has a center core which is hollow, and the coil-shaped component has a helix rotation axis, which extends in parallel with said projected area of the first mesh component and said projected area of the second mesh component.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the dependent claims.

