Comparative Study of Degradation Behavior of Bioresorbable Cardiovascular Scaffolds

This comparative study investigated the biodegradation behavior and mechanism of bioresorbable cardiovascular scaffolds using bench testing under physiological conditions and in vivo experiment. The results show that the molecular weight of the scaffold decreased with respect to time after implantation in both in vivo and in vitro tests. It was found that the molecular weights of the implanted scaffolds in the in vivo and in vitro models decreased to 61.8 and 68.5% respectively 6 months after implantation, but the thermodynamic properties of the scaffold material were not significantly affected by the 6-month degradation. Moreover, the study indicated that in spite of the 6-month degradation, the scaffold maintained sufficient radial strength and mechanical integrity. Furthermore, it was noted that the changes in the trends of the mechanical properties and degradation behavior of the scaffolds in the in vitro model were coherent with the results of the in vivo study, which means the in vitro study of the degradation behavior of polylactic acid (PLA) scaffold could offer clinical relevant data and physical insights to predict the in vivo performance.