| Abstract: | Cardiovascular diseases and injuries are one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. Vascular grafts implantation is the standard procedure to treat them, and there is a pressing need to develop smalldiameter vascular vessels. Tissue engineering offers one promising approach to address the shortcoming of autologous therapies. Despite the successful application of polyethylene terephthalate (Dacron), polyurethane and Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) in largediameter vascular grafts, the outcome of replacing the native smalldiameter vessels by vascular grafts made from those biomaterials is still not satisfactory. Recent studies have shown some significant advances and provide confidence that success may be attainable in the near future. Here, we summarise recent development of bioscaffolds in SmallDiameter Vascular Grafts (SDVG) and discuss the challenges and potential improvements for the future. |
