Biodegradable vascular grafts

Lei, V., Bartels, H. L., Nieuwenhuis, P. et al., Microporous, compliant, biodegradable vascular grafts for the regeneration of the arterial wall in rat abdominal aorta. Surgery, 98, 955,1985. 

Van der Lei, B., Wildevuur, C.R.H., Niewenhuis, P., Blaauw, E.H., Dijk, F., Hulstaert, C.E., and Molenaar, I. 1985. Regeneration of the arterial wall in microporous, compliant, biodegradable vascular grafts after implantation into the rat abdominal aorta. Cell Tissue Res. 242 569-578. 

B. van der Lei, C.R. Wildevuur, P. Nieuwenhuis, E.H. Blaauw, F. Dijk, C.E. Hulsteart, and I. Molenaar, Regeneration of the Arterial Wall in Microporous, Compliant, Biodegradable Vascular Grafts After Implantation Into the Rat Abdominal Aorta. Cell Tissue Res., 242, 569-578,1985. 

Gogolewski S, Pennings AJ, Lomtnen E and Wildevuur CR. Small-caliber biodegradable vascular grafts from Groningen. Life Support Syst. l(suppl 1) 382-385,1983. 

Biodegradable polymers have found other applications that have been commercialised or are under investigation. Anastomosis rings have been developed as an alternative to suturing for intestinal resection. Tissue staples have also replaced sutures in certain procedures. Other applications currently under scrutiny include ligating clips, vascular grafts, stents, and tissue engineering scaffolds. 

Biodegradable materials were initially used in medical applications such as sutures, prostheses, controlled drug-release systems, and vascular grafts. These applications are enabled by their biocompatibility, their ability to be absorbed by the body, and because of their mechanical properties appropriate for such applications [6]. 

Prechtel and co-workers also focused on the construction of tissue engineered, small-caliber vascular grafts that mimicked the structure of the host coronary artery. The design employed biodegradable polymeric fibers in a braided construct utilizing an inner and outer layer with fiber orientations similar to those of the native coronary artery to enable matched mechanical... 

Cohn, D., Marom, G. et al., A selectively biodegradable filament wound vascular graft, Trans. Soc. Biomater., 28, 403, 2002. 

Van der Lei, B., Wildevuur, C. R. and Nieuwenhuis, R, Compliance and biodegradation of vascular grafts stimulate the regeneration of elastic laminae in neoarterial tissue An experimental study in rats, Surgery, 99, 45, 1986. Ratcliffe, A., Matrix Biology, 8, 1, 2000. 

Biodegradability is often an important consideration in the development of biomedical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural products for a number of applications. Biodegradable polymers have been formulated for uses such as controlled release and drug-delivery devices, surgical sutures, scaffolds for tissue regeneration, vascular grafts and stents, artificial skin, and orthopedic implants. 

Yu, T.J. and Chu, C.C., 1993. Bicomponent vascular grafts consisting of synthetic biodegradable fibers. Part I. In vitro study. /. Biomed. Mater. Res., 27 1329-1339. 

J. Yang, D. Motlagh, J.B. Allen, A.R. Webb, M.R. Kibbe, O. Aalami, M. Kapadia, T.J. Carroll, G.A. Ameer, Modulating expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular graft host response via citric acid-based biodegradable elastomers, Adv. Mater. 18 (2006) 1493-1498. 

He, W, Yong, T., Teo, W.E., Ma, Z.W. and Ramakrishna, S. 2005a. Fabrication and endo-theliahzation of coUagen-blended biodegradable polymer nanofibers Potential vascular graft for blood vessel tissue engineering. Tissue Ens. 11 1575-1588. 

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