Pitfalls and promises of bile duct alternatives: A narrative review

Figure 4 Regeneration of the neo-bile duct outside the short-term absorption type bile duct substitute. A: Bile duct substitute (BDS) (black arrows) is anastomosed to the native extrahepatic bile duct; B: Immature cells attach around the BDS, forming a cylindrical cell mass outside the BDS. The bioabsorbable polymer that comprise BDS becomes fragile in the living body from approximately 3 wk and sheds to the duodenal side; C: After BDS is no longer present at the transplant site, immature cell clusters mature as bile duct cells and the bile ducts are regenerated as tissue (black arrows).