Repair and reconstruction of common bile duct by poly(lactide) stent Reparación y reconstrucción de la vía biliar común con un stent de PLA

To investigate the effect of repair of bioabsorbable poly(lactide) (PLA) biliary stent in common bile duct (CBD) transection injury in canine prior to the clinical application. Circular tubing CBD stent was prepared by melt extraction technique using PLA. A transection incision was made on CBD of the normal canine, and then closed the incision with laser welding followed the implantation of PLA tubular stent into it. The stent was obtained to determine degradation of PLA in vivo at postoperative week 1, 4, and 12, respectively. The changes of outer diameter and burst pressure of CBD were investigated. Furthermore, serum liver enzyme values and CBD histopathological analysis were examined in the animals. The results noted that the polymer stent exhibited the same biomedical functions as T tubes and no significant tissue response. Therefore, biodegradable PLA stent matches the requirements in repair and reconstruction of CBD to support the duct, guide bile drainage and reduce T-tube-related complications.