Preventive role of biodegradable pancreatobiliary stents

Figure 2 Comparative diagnosis-and-treatment workflow: Biodegradable vs conventional plastic stent. The conventional pathway requires follow-up imaging and, in approximately two-thirds of patients, repeat endoscopy for retrieval; the biodegradable pathway eliminates both by in situ degradation and spontaneous passage. Migration/passage ranges per Gromski et al[5] and McGarrigle et al[14]. BDS: Biodegradable stents; ERCP: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.