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Biodegradable stents have been a longstanding dream for endoscopy in general, and for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in particular. They could be used to treat a variety of benign and malignant conditions and could potentially save patients from repeat procedures that are performed solely for stent removal. Outside of the U.S., a biodegradable esophageal stent is commercially available, but within the U.S., no biodegradable stents are currently on the market. In a recent study, researchers prospectively evaluated degradation time, technical features, and safety of novel, helicoidally shaped, biodegradable pancreatic and biliary stents.
The stents, of various sizes, were designed to degrade at different rates: slow (11 …