Copyright
©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. May 16, 2013; 5(5): 265-269
Published online May 16, 2013. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v5.i5.265
Published online May 16, 2013. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v5.i5.265
Biodegradable stent for the treatment of a colonic stricture in Crohn’s disease
Catarina Rodrigues, Ana Oliveira, Liliana Santos, Eduardo Pires, João Deus, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca, IC 19 2720-276 Amadora, Portugal
Author contributions: Rodrigues C, Pires E and Deus J were attending doctors for the patient; Rodrigues C, Santos L and Pires E performed the endoscopic examinations and stent placement; Rodrigues C and Oliveira A organized the report; and Rodrigues C wrote the paper; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to: Catarina Rodrigues, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca, EPE, Itinerário Complementar 19, Venteira, IC 19 2720-276 Amadora, Portugal. catarinagr@hotmail.com
Telephone: +35-121-4348200 Fax: +35-121-4345566
Received: February 17, 2013
Revised: April 4, 2013
Accepted: April 13, 2013
Published online: May 16, 2013
Revised: April 4, 2013
Accepted: April 13, 2013
Published online: May 16, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: Strictures in Crohn’s disease (CD) are challenging. Until the development of medical therapy that can prevent or reverse intestinal fibrosis, endoscopic management is recommended to avoid surgery. Biodegradable polydioxanone stents originally developed to treat refractory esophageal benign strictures are a promising alternative to balloon dilation with the advantage over metallic stents that they do not need to be removed. However, data on their use in the bowel is limited to a few series, mostly in patients with postsurgical colorectal strictures. We report the case of a CD patient presenting with a symptomatic colonic fibrotic stricture that was successfully treated with a biodegradable stent.