Designing a Biodegradable Biliary Stent for the Treatment of Biliary Stricture
- Program: Materials Science and Engineering
- Course: MSE Design Team II EN.510.446
Project Description:
Current treatments for biliary stricture, which is a narrowing of the bile duct, involve surgeries to insert and remove a metal or plastic stent in addition to multiple ballooning procedures to ensure dilation. This impacts the patient’s quality of life and puts them at a higher risk for postoperative complications. We propose the use of a biodegradable, self-expanding biliary stent which would remove the need for auxiliary procedures following its insertion, and have studied the degradation behavior of a braided stent made of a WE43 magnesium-based alloy for its application towards biliary stricture treatment.
