Development of three-dimensional printed biodegradable external airway splints with native-like shape and mechanical properties for tracheomalacia treatment

Abstract

3D printed external airway splints derived from degradable biopolymers provide a promising way to treat tracheomalacia (TM). However, most of the splints cannot fully reproduce the lumen shapes and the mechanical properties of native tracheas. In this study, biodegradable external airway splints with native-like lumen geometry and mechanical properties were designed and fabricated. Matchable mechanical properties were realized by the combination of different pore shapes and sizes of the splints. A reliable method for the fabrication of the porous polycaprolactone (PCL) splints was demonstrated via selective laser sintering (SLS). Compression results revealed that the SLS-fabricated PCL splints with the diamond pore shape and an inscribed circle diameter of 3 mm possessed similar mechanical properties to those of native tracheas, before and after implantation in dogs with TM for 12 weeks. These SLS-fabricated PCL biodegradable bionic external airway splints might be good candidate for clinical application in future.