Porous glass-ceramic orbital implants: A feasibility study

Surgical removal of a diseased ocular globe is followed by the placement of a permanent orbital implant in the patient's anophthalmic cavity to provide adequate support to surrounding tissues. We fabricated foam-like CaSiO3-containing glass-ceramics that exhibited favorable micro-architectural characteristics for use as orbital implant materials, i.e. a network of open and large macropores (∼250 µm) that could potentially allow ingrowth of fibrovascular tissue. The implants had an excellent chemical stability in contact with simulated body fluids (no mass losses were registered after soaking for 1 month in vitro) and high mechanical strength (∼20 MPa under compression) to permit safe manipulation during surgery. Therefore, this new glass-ceramic porous material is a promising, potentially less expensive alternative to existing polymeric or ceramic bioinert orbital implants.