title: [Tissue engineering for heart valves and vascular grafts].
abstract: Current prosthetic substitutes for heart valves and blood vessels have numerous limitations such as limited durability (biological valves), susceptibility to infection, the necessity of lifelong anticoagulation therapy (prosthetic valves), and reduced patency in small-caliber grafts, for example. Tissue engineering using either polymers or decellularized native allogeneic or xenogenic heart valve/vascular matrices may provide the techniques to develop the ideal heart valve or vascular graft. The matrix scaffold serves as a basis on which seeded cells can organise and develop into the valve or vascular tissue prior to or following implantation. The scaffold is either degraded or metabolised during the formation and organisation of the newly generated matrix, leading to vital living tissue. This paper summarises current research and first clinical developments in the tissue engineering of heart valves and vascular grafts.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Thorax-, Herz- und Gefässchirurgie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover. teebken@thg.mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Teebken
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilhelmi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haverich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001705:Bioprosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D019149:Bioreactors; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000166:cytology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible