gms | German Medical Science

Referring to medical implants the layman commonly thinks of dental prostheses, cardiac pacemakers or artificial hips, but also the cochlear implant has reached a certain degree of awareness. Beyond this electronic hearing device a great number of implants and biomaterials found their way into daily otorhinolaryngology, where they can successfully restore functions of diseased or lost organs. New technical developments continuously increase the possibilities and indications for such artificial materials.

By definition, implants are artificial materials integrated into the body for a permanent or at least long-lasting stay. The term biomaterials in general means synthetic or non-living natural substances, mostly used in medicine, which come into direct contact with biological tissues and cause certain interactions. Defining the term biomaterials broadly, it can also comprise devices, which only have short-term contact via the body surface or orifices. Thus, in this volume we also include medical aids like tracheal cannulas or nasal packings.

According to the spectrum of otorhinolaryngology the variety of implants is very wide. While some of them just serve as substitutes for lost tissues like bone, for instance, others help to restore functional defects like the cochlear implant.

In order to improve biocompatibility or to achieve certain effects regarding the tissue-implant interaction, efforts have been made to “functionalize” the implant surface. Thus the structure of the surface has a large impact on the cell growth onto the implant and can control it according to the specific demands. Special coatings of the implant surface can elute integrated drugs like antibiotics or growth factors over a defined time period, thus controlling tissue interactions as requested.

In this volume, 11 very prominent experts have given superb contributions, which allow an excellent update in the rapidly enlarging field of biotechnology including both, medical knowledge and skills and also progress in material science. The future belongs to very close cooperations between physicians and engineers or natural scientists. Hopefully the proceedings will allow a rapid and efficient orientation for every otorhinolaryngologist.