Spacer and method of manufacturing the same
The disclosure relates to a spacer using a hydrogel for treatment that aids in growth or bonding of living tissues after surgery or treatment of joints, muscles, or ligaments. The spacer includes a support sheet formed of a biodegradable hydrogel material having a water-soluble polymer network structure, and a pouch formed of a biodegradable material, as a sealing bag-shaped member surrounding the support sheet, and the support sheet is formed to dissolve in a body fluid faster than the pouch. Therefore, the spacer and a method of manufacturing the spacer according to the disclosure may eliminate cost and stress because there is no need for a subsequent removal operation, while stabilizing a surgical site and reducing pain, and particularly, adjust a drug delivery rate adaptively according to different recovery rates or tissue regeneration rates for different ages of patients.
1. A spacer comprising:
a support sheet formed of a biodegradable hydrogel material having a water-soluble polymer network structure; and
a pouch formed of a biodegradable material, as a sealing bag-shaped member surrounding the support sheet,
wherein the support sheet is formed to dissolve in a body fluid faster than the pouch, wherein the pouch is formed in a porous pore structure, and a plurality of first micro-channels forming the pore structure, wherein a frame is formed to extend along a predetermined part of the pouch, for maintaining a shape of the pouch against a pressure applied into a living tissue, wherein the frame is a pore-dense band in which the pore structure is denser than a remaining structure of the pouch except for the frame, and the pore-dense band includes densely populated second micro-channels having a smaller diameter than the plurality of first micro-channels.
2. The spacer according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogel material of the support sheet contains a water-soluble drug.