Tissue engineering of small diameter vascular grafts.

Tissue engineering, using either polymer or biological based scaffolds, represents the newest approach to overcoming limitations of small diameter prosthetic vascular grafts. Their disadvantages include thromboembolism and thrombosis, anticoagulant related haemorrhage, compliance mismatch, neointimal hyperplasia, as well as aneurysm formation. This current review represents an overview about previous and contemporary studies in the field of artificial vascular conduits development regarding arterial and venous autografts, allografts, xenografts, alloplastic prostheses, and tissue engineering.