Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026
11:01
Ferromagnetic Bare Metal Stent for Endothelial Cell Capture and Retention
Published on: September 18, 2015
Polyethylene stent blockage: a porcine model.
N Maillot1, P Aucher, S Robert
1Laboratory of Multivisceral Transplantation, INRA Le Magneraud, Department of Surgery, Laboratory of Microbiology and Liver Unit, University Hospital, Poitiers, France.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
|January 8, 2000
Summary
Larger biliary stents showed reduced clogging in pigs, with mucoprotein being the primary deposit component. Bacterial presence was noted, but calcium bilirubinate formation was a late event, not strongly linked to bacterial enzymes.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microbiology
Background:
- Endoscopic biliary stenting treats obstructive jaundice from unresectable tumors.
- Stent clogging leading to recurrent jaundice is a significant clinical challenge.
- An experimental model in pigs was developed to study polyethylene stent clogging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish an experimental model for polyethylene biliary stent clogging in large white pigs.
- To investigate the relationship between stent diameter and clogging.
- To analyze the composition and microbial flora of stent deposits.
Main Methods:
- Polyethylene stents of 5F, 7F, and 10F sizes were inserted into the common bile duct of pigs.
- Animals were monitored for signs of stent clogging or death.
- Stent deposits were analyzed using chemico-physical methods (stereomicroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy) and bacteriologic analyses.
Main Results:
- Stent obstruction or death rates were significantly lower in the 10F group (2/8) compared to 5F (8/8) and 7F (11/12) groups (p < 0.001).
- Mucoprotein was the major component of early stent deposits, decreasing with larger stent diameters (82% in 5F to 47% in 10F).
- Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were cultured, with Clostridium species showing high enzyme activity; calcium bilirubinate formation increased with stent diameter but was not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- Mucoprotein is the primary component of early biliary stent deposits in this porcine model.
- Larger diameter stents (10F) demonstrated reduced clogging compared to smaller stents (5F, 7F).
- Bacterial presence is common, but calcium bilirubinate formation appears to be a late event, independent of bacterial enzymatic activity.
