Initial experience with a novel biodegradable pancreatic stent in pancreatoduodenectomy

Abstract

The application of biodegradable pancreatic stent in pancreatoduodenectomy has rarely been studied. Archimedes biodegradable stent is a newly designed CE‐approved biodegradable stent. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the performance of this stent in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy. Clinical outcomes of these patients were reviewed. Among nine patients in this study, six (66.7%) slow‐degrading, two (22.2%) medium‐degrading, and one (11.1%) fast‐degrading stents were used. Technical success rate was 100%. There was no hospital mortality. Four patients (44.4%) developed clinically relevant post‐operative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Proximal migration of stent occurred in two patients (22%) who were managed conservatively. Five stents (55.5%) degraded within the expected degradation period. In conclusion, the use of Archimedes biodegradable stent in pancreatoduodenectomy is technically feasible. Future study is needed to evaluate its potential efficacy of reducing POPF.