Method of forming a seamless bladder
A tissue displacement/separation device is provided. The device includes a bladder which is expandable between a first tissue and a second tissue of a body. The bladder has an expanded shape which is selected capable of displacing or separating the first tissue from the second tissue in a manner suitable for protecting the first tissue from an effect of a treatment applied to the second tissue.
1. A method of forming a seamless bladder comprising:
(a) providing a volumetric bladder template produced from hydrophilic material;
(b) providing a solution of a polymer insoluble in water, the polymer being selected to biodegrade when inside a body over a period of weeks to months;
(c) directly contacting an outer surface of the bladder template with the polymer solution to form a coating of the polymer directly on the bladder template outer surface to thereby generate a bladder having a thin layered seamless external surface made of said biodegradable polymer and a port with a diameter of between 1/100 and ⅕ of a diameter of said bladder; and
(d) extracting said template through said port.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising heating said coated template.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising washing said coated template with water.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophilic material is gelatin or agar.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said biodegradable polymer is selected from the group consisting of a poly(alkanoic acid), a polyorthoester, a polyphosphazene, a polyphosphate ester and a polyanhydride.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said poly(alkanoic acid) is selected from the group consisting of poly(lactic acid), poly(lactic acid-glycolic acid) and poly(lactic acid-caprolactone).
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein coating comprises coating by dipping said template in said solution.
8. The method of claim 7 , comprising repeating said dipping until a desired thickness is achieved.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein dipping comprises dipping at a constant speed.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein coating comprises coating said template from all sides except for region of said port of said bladder.
11. The method of claim 10 , comprising forcefully sticking a biodegradable plug into said port.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a volumetric bladder template comprises forming a bladder template using a mold.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophilic material is soluble in water.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein:
i. said volumetric bladder is formed by cooling a heated liquid casting agent so that it hardens; and
ii. said solution of said biodegradable polymer directly coats said hardened casting agent.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said casting agent is injected into a mold and hardens within said mold.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is hydrophobic.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is an organic solvent.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is an alcohol, or a chlorinated hydrocarbon, an alkanone, or an acetonitrile, or dialkyl ethers, or cyclic ether, or an acetate alkyl ester, or an aromatic solvents.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is selected from the group consisting of butanol, dichloromethane, chloroform, butanone, acetone, acetonitrile, disiopropyl ether, tetrahydrofurane, dioxane, ethyl and butyl acetate, and toluene.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein the solution of the polymer is: (i) a solution of polylactide, or (ii) a solution of poly(lactide-glycolide), or (iii) a solution of poly(lactide-caprolactone) or (iv) a solution of polycaprolactone.
21. A method of forming a seamless bladder comprising:
(a) providing a volumetric bladder template produced from hydrophilic material;
(b) providing a solution of a polymer insoluble in water, the polymer being selected to biodegrade when inside a body over a period of weeks to months;
(c) directly contacting an outer surface of the bladder template with the polymer solution to form a coating of the polymer directly on the bladder template outer surface to thereby generate a coat of said polymer directly on the bladder template outer surface; and
(c) extracting said template through an orifice of said polymeric coat, and leaving said polymeric coat to form the seamless bladder.
22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising heating said coated template.
23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising washing said coated template with water.
24. The method of claim 21 , wherein said bladder is formed with said orifice having a diameter of between 1/100 and ⅕ of a diameter of said bladder.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein said diameter of said orifices is about 1/100 of a diameter of said bladder.
26. The method of claim 21 wherein:
i. said volumetric bladder is formed by cooling a heated liquid casting agent so that it hardens; and
ii. said solution of said biodegradable polymer coats said hardened casting agent.
27. The method of claim 26 wherein said casting agent is injected into a mold and hardens within said mold.
28. The method of claim 21 wherein:
i. said volumetric bladder is formed by cooling a heated liquid casting agent so that it hardens; and
ii. said solution of said biodegradable polymer coats said hardened casting agent.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein said casting agent is injected into a mold and hardens within said mold.
30. The method of claim 21 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is hydrophobic.
31. The method of claim 21 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is an organic solvent.
32. The method of claim 21 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is an alcohol, or a chlorinated hydrocarbon, an alkanone, or an acetonitrile, or dialkyl ethers, or cyclic ether, or an acetate alkyl ester, or an aromatic solvents.
33. The method of claim 21 wherein a solvent of the polymer solution is selected from the group consisting of butanol, dichloromethane, chloroform, butanone, acetone, acetonitrile, disiopropyl ether, tetrahydrofurane, dioxane, ethyl and butyl acetate, and toluene.
34. The method of claim 21 wherein the solution of the polymer is: (i) a solution of polylactide, or (ii) a solution of poly(lactide-glycolide), or (iii) a solution of poly(lactide-caprolactone) or (iv) a solution of polycaprolactone.