초록 ▼

An expander for lengthening a patient's palate comprises two substantially rigid sections, each of which sections has one or more downwardly extending members capable of being affixed to a surface; and a threading system attached to each section, the threading system being capable of predictably adj

An expander for lengthening a patient's palate comprises two substantially rigid sections, each of which sections has one or more downwardly extending members capable of being affixed to a surface; and a threading system attached to each section, the threading system being capable of predictably adjusting the spacing between the rigid sections. The expander is useful for lengthening a patient's palate, for example, for the treatment of velopharyngeal incompetence.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.]1. A palate expander system comprising:a first rigid section having a plane, having two or more members extending downwardly out of the plane, each member having a flat surface capable of being attached to a surface, and having one or more rigid guide members extending away from the

[ I claim:] [1.]1. A palate expander system comprising:a first rigid section having a plane, having two or more members extending downwardly out of the plane, each member having a flat surface capable of being attached to a surface, and having one or more rigid guide members extending away from the first rigid section,a second rigid section having a plane, having two or more members extending downwardly out of the plane, each member having a flat surface capable of being attached to a surface, and having one or more receptacles to receive the one or more rigid guide members extending from the first rigid section,a threading system connecting the first and second rigid sections and capable of predictably adjusting the spacing between the first and second rigid sections, andscrews for attaching the downwardly extending member flat surfaces to a patient's palate,wherein the first and second rigid sections can be incrementally adjusted to cause the palate to expand.