Implant (medicine)
Implant (medicine)
An implant (pronounced: /ˈimplant/) is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing biological structure, support a damaged biological structure, or enhance an existing biological structure. Medical implants are man-made devices, in contrast to a transplant, which is a transplanted biomedical tissue. The surface of implants that contact the body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone, or apatite depending on what is the most functional.
Etymology
The term "implant" is derived from the Latin implantare meaning "to insert" or "to graft".
Types of Implants
There are several types of medical implants, which are usually inserted into the body. These include:
- Orthopedic implant: These are used to support, or replace bones or joints.
- Dental implant: These are root devices, usually made of titanium, used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth.
- Breast implant: These are used to change the size, shape, and contour of a woman's breast.
- Contraceptive implant: These are hormone-releasing implants that are placed into the body to prevent pregnancy.
- Cochlear implant: These are electronic devices that replace the function of the damaged inner ear.
- Neurostimulator: These are medical devices that send electrical impulses to parts of the brain for treatment of disorders like Parkinson's disease, dystonia, and chronic pain.
Related Terms
- Prosthesis: An artificial device that replaces a missing body part.
- Transplant: The process of taking cells, tissues, or organs, called grafts, from one area of the body and placing them into another area of the same body or another body.
- Biocompatibility: The ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Implant (medicine)
- Wikipedia's article - Implant (medicine)
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