implant

1. To graft or insert. 2. Material inserted into nonliving tissues. SEE ALSO: graft, transplant. 3. (im′plant)In genitourinary surgery a device inserted to restore continence or potency. Also an injectable material to create a valvular competence of the ureterovesical junction or bladder outlet. SEE ALSO: prosthesis. [L. im-, in, + planto, pp. -atus, to plant, fr. planta, a sprout, shoot]

- carcinomatous implants transference of carcinoma cells from a primary tumor to adjacent tissues where growth continues.

- cochlear i. an electronic device consisting of a microphone, speech processor, and electrodes that are implanted in the inner ear to stimulate the remaining nerve fibers of the auditory division of the eighth cranial nerve in adults and children with profound hearing impairment and deafness. Many recipients of cochlear implants achieve high, open-set word recognition and can understand speech even over the telephone. SEE ALSO: auditory prosthesis. SYN: cochlear prosthesis.

- dental implants crowns, bridges, or dentures attached permanently to the jaw by means of metal anchors, most frequently titanium posts.

- endometrial implants fragments of endometrial mucosa implanted on pelvic structure following retrograde transference through the oviducts. SYN: endometriosis.

- endo- osseous i. an i. into alveolar bone inserted through the prepared root canal of a tooth in order to increase effective root length.

- endosseous i. SYN: endosteal i..

- endosteal i. an i. that is inserted into the alveolar and/or basal bone and protrudes through the mucoperiosteum. SYN: endosseous i..

- inflatable i. an empty silicone rubber bag with an inlet tube and a valve inserted into or behind the breast, then inflated with a liquid to the desired size; used in augmentation mammaplasty, and breast reconstruction.

- intracorneal implants inserts placed within corneal pockets to alter the refractive power of the eye.

- intraocular i. a plastic lens placed in the anterior or posterior chamber of the eye to substitute for the lens removed in cataract extraction.

- magnetic i. a tissue-tolerated, magnetized metal placed within the bone to aid in denture retention; a similar magnet is placed in the overlying denture to complete the field.

- orbital i. the glass, plastic, or metal device placed in the muscle cone after enucleation of an eye.

- penile i. a rigid, flexible, or inflatable device surgically placed in the corpora cavernosa to produce an erection.

- pin i. a type of dental i. usually rod-shaped, used in the area of the maxillary sinuses.

- post i. that portion of a dental i. substructure that protrudes through the mucosa to connect with the restoration.

- root-form i. an i. shaped like the root of a tooth.

- silicone i. i. composed of silicone; common form of breast i. for augmentation.

- submucosal i. a dental i. resting beneath the mucosa. SEE ALSO: i. denture.

- subperiosteal i. an artificial dental metal appliance made to conform to the shape of a bone and placed on its surface beneath the periosteum. See i. denture substructure.

- supraperiosteal i. an alloplastic graft inserted superficial to the periosteum to change the contour of an area.

- testicular i. a device placed surgically in the scrotum in males with absence or severe hypoplasia of the testis. SYN: testicular prosthesis.

- threaded i. an i. with screwlike threads that is either screwed into bone previously threaded by a tap, or by self-tapping, the i. cutting threads in the bone as it is inserted into a predrilled hole.

- triplant i. a combination of three pin implants to form a single abutment to support or retain a dental prosthesis.

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im·plant im-'plant vt

1) to set permanently in the consciousness or habit patterns

2 a) to insert or fix in a living site (as for growth, slow release, or formation of an organic union) <subcutaneously \implanted hormone pellets>

b) to insert an implant in <100 patients have been \implanted with nylon ribbons without complications (U. K. Henschke)> vi to undergo implantation: become implanted <failure of embryos to \implant>

im·plant 'im-.plant n something (as a graft, a small container of radioactive material for treatment of cancer, or a pellet containing hormones to be gradually absorbed) that is implanted esp. in tissue

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n.

1. a drug (such as a subcutaneous hormone implant), a prosthesis (such as an artificial hip, an intraocular lens implant (see cataract), a breast implant, a cochlear implant, or a artificial heart implant), or a radioactive source (such as radium needles) that is put into the body.

2. (in dentistry) a rigid structure that is embedded in bone or under its periosteum to provide support for replacement teeth on a denture or a bridge. Recent types (osseointegrated implants) consist of a number of special titanium alloy inserts, placed in the jawbone, onto which abutments are fitted after the bone has healed. Later an artificial-tooth super-structure is bolted onto the abutments. Osseointegrated implants are also used to retain facial prosthesis. See also osseointegration.

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im·plant (im-plantґ) to insert or graft an object or material, such as an alloplastic or radioactive material, a drug capsule, or tissue, into the body of a recipient.