title: Regeneration of extrahepatic bile ducts by tissue engineering with a bioabsorbable polymer.
abstract: With the widespread adoption of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and living-donor liver transplantation in recent years, complications involving the biliary system, stenosis in particular, are increasing. Various invasive and non-invasive techniques are now available for the treatment of biliary stenosis, but all are compromised by a high risk of recurrence and other problems. As a potential solution, our group has developed a bioabsorbable polymer (BAP) tube for implantation as a bypass graft. In the study reported here, we implanted this BAP tube and confirmed bile duct regeneration at the graft site after the tube had been degraded and absorbed into the body. We briefly describe our findings on extrahepatic biliary tissue regeneration, focusing on the possibility of its clinical application. This artificial bile duct may promote the development of novel treatments for biliary disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Gastrointestinal Center, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, 1397-1 Yamane, Hidaka, Saitama 350-1298, Japan. miyazawa@saitama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aikawa
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toshimitsu
authors.forename: Kojun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikada
mesh_terms: D001187:Artificial Organs; D017734:Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D011108:Polymers; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers