DOST develops bioceramic orbital plate implant

Government researchers have developed a bioceramic orbital plate implant that has a "very good potential" as an artificial bone and can be useful in the treatment of orbital bone fractures.

According to the Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), the research could also possibly lead to future studies on other applications in the medical field, particularly in the management of fractures and other bone injuries.

An orbital implant is used to replace the volume of the orbit (bony socket of the eye) when the eye is surgically removed, or as a replacement implant in patients with a poorly functioning pre-existing implant.

Surgeons use orbital plate implants to repair fractures of the bony orbit. These are important in the management of orbital trauma that may lead to breakage in the skull, specifically the orbit.

At present, orbital and orbital plate implants used in the country are expensive and imported.

The DOST-ITDI has developed an alternative and inexpensive orbital plate implant with a composition of 77 percent B-tricalcium phosphate and 23 percent hydroxyapatite.

The components of these implants are very similar to that of the human bone and are free from impurities.

The bioceramic orbital plate implant developed by researchers of ITDI’s Material Science Division is a promising substitute for the imported material which is expensive, said Jocelyn Reyes, the project leader.

The Bioethics Committee of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Hospital has approved it for human transplantation.

This came after results obtained from implantation done on live specimens proved to be promising. The first human implantation was done on Aug. 28, 2000, followed by another one on Sept. 28, 2000, at the East Avenue Medical Hospital, in collaboration with the UST Hospital.

The technology subsequently bagged the first prize in the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development’s Scientific Poster Contest on Health and Related Technologies in July 2000.

In an implantation done on a live specimen by Dr. Jessica Marie Abaño at the UST Hospital, full compatibility with the normal tissue was observed.

No signs of infection or rejection were observed at the site of the surgery. The implant was noted to be stable because no migration was seen. It was also observed that the implant even stimulated new bone formation.