ANIMAL-MODEL OF POROUS POLYETHYLENE ORBITAL IMPLANTS

Ophthalmologists continue to search for the ideal orbital implant for the anophthalmic socket. The successful long-term clinical performance of an implantable prosthesis is highly dependent on the materials fro m which the device is fabricated. Among the materials issues are chemi stry, surface texture, and porosity. Polyethylene, a polymer comprised of simple hydrocarbon chains, is highly resistant to biological degra dation and possesses mass and fabrication properties that would be fav orable in an orbital implant. In this report, our early experimental e xperience with porous polyethylene orbital enucleation implants is rep orted. Our findings are sufficiently encouraging to warrant further ex ploration and refinement of the polyethylene device examined.