Toward a new generation of vaginal pessaries via 3D-printing: Concomitant mechanical support and drug delivery

Eder, Simone; Wiltschko, Laura; Koutsamanis, Ioannis; Urich, Jesús Alberto Afonso; Arbeiter, Florian; Roblegg, Eva; Spoerk, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.04.001

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…[2,49]. The effect of the infill density on the mechanical properties was not as pronounced as previously reported for thermoplastic polyurethanes, [ 2 ] as in the present study smaller cross‐sectional diameters than in the previous study were used, while higher cross‐sectional diameters were reported to show larger dependencies on the mechanical properties. [ 1 ] The exact infill density can finally be selected based on the individual woman's SUI requirements.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 69%

“…[ 1 ] Decreasing infill densities and hence increasing porosities reveal decreasing F max (Figure 6a) and S c ( Table 3 ), as expected from Refs. [2,49]. The effect of the infill density on the mechanical properties was not as pronounced as previously reported for thermoplastic polyurethanes, [ 2 ] as in the present study smaller cross‐sectional diameters than in the previous study were used, while higher cross‐sectional diameters were reported to show larger dependencies on the mechanical properties.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 68%

“…The P4 in‐vitro release was determined via a test setup custom‐made for urethra pessaries. [ 2 ] The setup involved commercial food glasses (J Weck GmbH und Co KG, Germany), which were placed into an orbital incubator shaker with a fixed shaking stroke of 20 mm (IKA KS4000i control, IKA‐Werke GmbH & Co. KG, Staufen, Germany) operated at 37 ± 0.5 °C and 130 rpm. To avoid sample floating, a USP basket was tied to each pessary ring with nylon fibers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Personalization of Complex Vaginal Inserts of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate via 3D‐Printing

Eder

Küchler

Katschnig

et al. 2023

Adv Materials Technologies

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Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) with a vinyl acetate (VA) content of 28 wt.% (EVA28) is frequently used in vaginal inserts and subcutaneous implants due to its biocompatibility and drug‐releasing properties. Traditionally being processed via hot melt extrusion, its processibility via filament‐based 3D‐printing was reported to be impossible. Consequently, no applicable customization concepts for vaginal inserts exist. For the first time, the fabrication of 3D‐printed vaginal inserts (urethra pessaries) of EVA28 is demonstrated by optimizing its viscosity, employing 3D‐printer adaptations, and carefully selecting printing parameters. The infill pattern of fully filled mono‐material pessaries (determining the number and orientation of weld lines) significantly affects the in vitro release of the model drug progesterone (P4), while other critical parameters (the pessary's mechanical properties and appearance) remain unaffected. Weld lines act as diffusion barriers for dissolved P4 molecules. Hence, a high number of weld lines to be crossed reduces the overall P4 diffusivity in EVA28, decreasing the P4 release rate. To further control the P4 release, innovative multi‐material pessary designs (additionally comprising EVA with a VA content of 9 wt.% that is also used in vaginal inserts) allow to tailor the in vitro drug release and the mechanics individually. Thereby, this work highly improves the mechanistic understanding on drug release modifications from 3D‐printed non‐biodegradable devices. The findings build the basis for the first application of customized vaginal inserts, as they are based on polymers used in corresponding marketed products for more than 20 years.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Personalization of Complex Vaginal Inserts of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate via 3D‐Printing

Eder

Küchler

Katschnig

et al. 2023

Adv Materials Technologies

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“…The second area of innovation is in pessary design-many have recently improved upon the silicone pessaries we have used for years. 11,12 In fact, this month's issue highlights one example. Hong et al, 13 in their article entitled "Patient-specific pessaries for pelvic organ prolapse using three-dimensional printing: a pilot study," demonstrate how 3D printing can be used to create customized pessary pour molds, which are then filled with silicone.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changing this practice pattern decreases return visit burden and unnecessary examinations for the patient. The second area of innovation is in pessary design—many have recently improved upon the silicone pessaries we have used for years 11,12 . In fact, this month’s issue highlights one example.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%