title: Synthetic bioabsorbable stent material for duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction.
abstract: Biliary stricture remains a significant cause of morbidity after liver transplantation. We performed duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis by using an absorbable stent tube with a diameter equal to that of pig common bile duct as an internal stent. The stent tube was constructed using a synthetic biodegradable material-a lactic glycolic acid and epsilon-caprolactone copolymer. Three pigs were alive without cholestasis for 180 d; however, 1 pig died on the 65th postoperative d, and autopsy revealed no cholestasis or biliary sledge in the biliary stent tube. The 3 pigs were euthanized for histological examinations 180 d after surgery; the biliary stent tube was completely absorbed by this time. These experimental results showed the good patency of the absorbable biliary stent tube. In the future, the absorbable biliary stent tube is expected to be clinically developed as a biliary stent for biliary anastomosis, which may protect the biliary anastomotic stricture.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, University of Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. htashiro@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tashiro
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itamoto
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ushitora
authors.forename: Yoshizato
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanimoto
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oshita
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: Toshimasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asahara
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D002208:Caproates; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000601:surgery; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000601:surgery*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006016:Glycolates; D007783:Lactones; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D015607:Stents; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002208:Caproates; D006016:Glycolates; D007783:Lactones; C031149:glycolic acid; C121056:caprolactone