Tissue engineered vascular grafts

Abstract

With the continuous increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and the limited efficiency of conventional treatments, including diet and lifestyle modifications, pharmaceutical administration, and surgical interventions, there is an equally increased need for vascular grafts for the replacement of damaged blood vessels. Currently, autologous grafts represent the gold standard. However, due to the limited availability, intensive work has been performed in the field of vascular tissue engineering. Although there are many possibilities for obtaining synthetic vascular grafts, there is still no ideal solution for vascular replacements. In this paper, the main material categories and fabrication techniques are reviewed.