This article describes a new surgical method for total ossicular reconstruction in a case of a broken stapes footplate. We developed the technique of the "cartilage shoe sandwich," which consists of two surgical steps. First, the closure of the oval window is achieved by a cartilage shoe without a central perforation. During this surgical intervention, the prearrangement of a secure placement o...

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The average clinical life span of a maxillofacial prosthesis is approximately 6 months, at which point it needs to be refabricated, mainly because of degradation of the color and physical properties of the prosthesis. PURPOSE This first part of a 3-part study evaluated the effect of coloring agents on the physical properties of maxillofacial elastomers. METHODS AND MATE...

We present the case of a 55-year-old man with advanced esophageal cancer who was successfully treated using a self-expandable metallic stent (S-EMS) for 6 months and subsequently was treated for an esophagobronchial fistula as a complication of the initial S-EMS using a silicone airway stent for an additional 4 months. This is the first report in the literature concerning penetration into the a...

The present importance of breast augmentation (BA) is shown by year-on-year increases: with 8439 augmentations performed by BAAPS members in 2007 the UK still lags America where 307,000 were performed. Having survived an almost hysterical media reaction to perceived silicone health risks in the 1990s, a growing body of evidence attests to the demonstrable benefits of BA. Improved implant design...

SINCE the introduction of artificial heart valves, investigators have been continuously modifying them, endeavoring to eliminate complications associated with their use. -3 The Starr-Edwards ball-valve prosthesis was the first to be widely accepted; however, problems due to its weight, cage size, and resistance to blood flow have stimulated the search for a better prosthetic device. In spite of...

OBJECTIVE Lack of sensory feedback is a drawback in today's hand prostheses. We present here a non-invasive simple sensory feedback system, which provides the user of a prosthetic hand with sensory feedback on the arm stump. It is mediated by air in a closed loop system connecting silicone pads on the prosthetic hand with pads on the amputation stump. The silicone pads in a "tactile display" on...

Biofilms on silicone rubber voice prostheses are the major cause for frequent failure and replacement of these devices. The presence of both bacterial and yeast strains has been suggested to be crucial for the development of voice prosthetic biofilms. Polymicrobial biofilms that include Candida albicans and Rothia dentocariosa are the leading cause of voice prosthesis failure. An in vitro biofi...

INTRODUCTION Synovial metaplasia around a prosthesis and in particular around silicone breast implants has been noted by various investigators, but has unknown clinical significance. We report on a patient where a large amount of synovial fluid mimicked rupture of an implant. We believe this to be an unusual clinical presentation of this phenomenon. Review of the English language literature fai...

AIM Aim of the present study was to comparatively evaluate dimensional accuracy of newely introduced elastomeric impression material after repeated pours at different time intervals. MATERIALS AND METHODS In the present study a total of 20 (10 + 10) impressions of master model were made from vinyl polyether silicone and vinyl polysiloxane impression material. Each impression was repeatedly po...

Background: Each organ serves a specific function in the human body. Congenital absence or loss of even minor parts it can pose extreme psychological trauma addition to functional impairment and esthetic issues encountered by individual. Amputation complete part phalange hand is frequently either due necrosis. Restoration such defects become mandatory improve general form combined with requirem...