Anton Vavrečka
Beside the existing plastic and metal stents in gastroenterology so-called biodegradable stents are used, especially common in benign strictures. They are made from natural or synthetic materials that spontaneously degrade in the body (biodegradation), which means that they may not be extracted. Articles about their use in resistant benign strictures of esophagus (different etiology), strictures in the small intestine and colon and the biliary and pancreatic strictures appear in the literature. They seem to be promising in these indications but their overall assessment of treatment is still missing. There are not available larger prospective randomized studies that give a definitive answer to what will be their place in the future.