Biodegradable Tracheal Stent Relieves Pediatric Airway Obstruction

An ultrahigh ductility Magnesium (Mg) alloy tracheal stent can help treat pediatric laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS), according to a new study.

Developed at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt; PA, USA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; Shenyang, China), the balloon-expandable ultra-high ductility LZ61-KBMS (Kumta Bioresorbable Magnesium Stents) tracheal stents are made of a Mg-Li-Zn multiphase alloy designed to provide a less invasive, more effective management technique for LTS that maintains airway patency while safely degrading over time, thus addressing the complications and morbidity issues of existing treatments.


For the study, the researchers used the prototype LZ61-KBMS in an in-vitro rat tracheal bypass model, demonstrating superior mechanical properties, a low degradation rate, excellent biocompatibility, and corrosion resistance. LZ61-KBMS were then implanted in-vivo into a healthy rabbit trachea to evaluate degradation and airway tissue response, with commonly used 316L stainless steel commercial non-degradable stents serving control. The results provided early stage preclinical evidence that validated LZ61-KBMS stents potential for pediatric LTS treatment. The study was published on December 18, 2020, in Nature Communications Biology.

“Our results are very promising for the use of this novel biodegradable, high ductility metal stent, particularly for pediatric patients,” said senior author Professor Prashant Kumta, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh. “We hope this new approach leads to new and improved treatments for patients with this complex condition as well as other tracheal obstruction conditions, including tracheal cancer.”

LTS is an abnormal narrowing of the central air passageways requiring endoscopic techniques, surgical repair, tracheostomy, or deployment of stents to hold the airway open and enable breathing. Severely stenotic pediatric patients undergo multiple temporizing endoscopic procedures, with over two-thirds requiring open surgical revision, typically accompanied by recurrent scarring, poor wound healing, or life-threatening anastomotic disruption, with a temporary intraluminal airway stent commonly providing graft stability and reinforcement.

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University of Pittsburgh
Chinese Academy of Sciences