Dissertation

Structure Design Optimisation of Biodegradable Implants for Melt Electrowriting

Pinheiro, Diogo Vilas Boas Rodrigues

2022

Overview

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a disorder that affects primarly women and is characterized by a protrusion of the vagina, uterus, or both through the pelvic floor. POP treatment may fall into nonsurgical or surgical approaches. Meshes can be used to strengthen or replace anatomical components that have failed. However, their use may result in graft-related complications (GRCs), resulting from poor biocompatibility and improper mechanical qualities of these meshes, as well as patient and surgeon conditions. Using non-textile biodegradable implants that are engineered to mimic the biomechanical properties of the host tissue might be an entirely new approach. Electrospinning in conjunction with 3D printing allows the use of biocompatible materials with specific dimensions, enabling the creation of tailored solutions with excellent repeatability.This dissertation focuses on the design and production of an implantable biocomaptible device, based on Polycaprolactone (PCL), capable of supporting the recovery of normal architecture and function of the vaginal cavity and associated pelvic organ structures. This research encompasses all the stages from conception of the geometries used for the produced meshes to the testing stage, using tensile tests to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of the produced meshes. Sow’s vaginal tissue and the commercial Restorelle mesh were used as benchmarks to compare their behaviour with the produced meshes.The meshes 1_R40_2A80_1R40, 1_R80_2A80_1R80, 1_R80_3A80_1R80, 3_1R80_1A80_1R80, 3_1R80_3A80_1R80 and 3_1R80_2A160_1R80 presented the closest mechanical behaviour to vaginal tissue. Preliminary results of the mechanical behaviour of biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) novel implants meshes for POP repair, produced using melt electrowriting technology, show that, while PCL meshes support lower workloads than the Restorelle mesh, they mimic more accurately the biomechanical properties of vaginal tissues, implying that the host reaction to these implants may be more favorable, minimizing the occurrence of graft related complications (GRCs).

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Chemistry / Magnetic resonance imaging / Medical imaging / Plastics / Polyethylene terephthalate / Polymer chemistry / Polyvinyl chloride
• ISBN: 9798382146874