Florida Atlantic University is studying how to make a special stent to treat patients who receive palliative care due to dysphagia, especially those with esophageal cancer and inoperable patients.
 3D printingFlexible self-expanding stent to treat patients with esophageal cancer” alt=”Florida Atlantic University:3D printingFlexible self-expanding stent to treat patients with esophageal cancer” />
“Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and one of the most difficult and challenging malignancies to cure. The 5-year survival rate of patients with esophageal cancer is less than 20%. For patients with inoperable esophageal malignancies , The esophageal stent can play a role in assisting palliative care and assisting swallowing.In order to avoid tumor ingrowth and reduce the complications of stent transplantation, the researchers3D printingA tubular flexible polymer stent is developed, the spiral shape of which is digitally optimized, and can play the above-mentioned preventive effect.
For transplantation, not only the impact on the human body when the stent is implanted, but also the complications after the stent is removed. As a result, researchers have developed a tubular polymer stent made of medical flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which has strong toughness, durability, biological stability and mechanical properties, and is biodegradable.
Four types of stents are carried out at 0,5%, 10% and 15% by weight3D printing, And named as 100TPU, 5PLA95TPU, 10PLA90TPU and 15PLA85TPU. The researchers processed several prototypes of different sizes, some with colors. It was found that the spiral 15PLA85TPU stent expanded the most. 
The researchers concluded: “Compared with non-helical stents,3D printingThe spiral polymer scaffold has a significantly higher anti-migration force, and the spiral structure significantly reduces the migration distance.Most importantly, the stent can pass3D printingCustomized to meet different treatment needs. “ |
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