Arterial reconstructions with vein grafts fail more frequently than with arterial grafts. One of the causes of graft failure is damage due to overstretching of the graft wall. Overstretching is caused because the vein graft, which has a poorly developed medium, cannot withstand the arterial blood pressures. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether damage due to overstretching can be prevent...

Bone defects represent a medical and socioeconomic challenge. Different types of biomaterials are applied for reconstructive indications and receive rising interest. However, autologous bone grafts are still considered as the gold standard for reconstruction of extended bone defects. The generation of bioartificial bone tissues may help to overcome the problems related to donor site morbidity a...

Peripheral nerve injury therapy in the clinic remains less than satisfactory. The gold standard of treatment for long peripheral nerve defects is autologous nerve grafts; however, numerous clinical complications are associated with this treatment. As tissue engineering has developed, tissue-engineered nerve grafts (TENGs) have shown potential applications as alternatives to autologous nerve gra...

Glottic insufficiency has been managed since the beginning of the twentieth century. The autologous grafts, as fat and muscular fascia, have shown safety and good results. The authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using fat and fascia in the management of glottic insufficiency, regarding historical aspects, inflammatory process and surgical techniques.

Although meniscus defects and degeneration are strongly correlated with the later development of osteoarthritis, the promise of regenerative medicine strategies is to prevent and/or delay the disease's progression. Meniscal reconstruction has been shown in animal models with tendon grafting and transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs); however, these procedures have not shown the same e...

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is used widely as a treatment for symptomatic chondral and osteochondral defects of the knee. Variations of the original periosteum-cover technique include the use of porcine-derived type I/type III collagen as a cover (ACI-C) and matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) using a collagen bilayer seeded with chondrocytes. We have perform...

Parry-Romberg syndrome, also known as progressive hemifacial atrophy, is a rare disorder characterized by slow and progressive hemifacial atrophy. The treatment offered for the syndrome generally aims at improving aesthetics. Fat grafts, silicone injections or acrylic prosthesis are alternatives suggested for correction of facial atrophy. Currently, the recommended technique for correction of f...

Disrupted organogenesis leads to permanent malformations that may require surgical correction. Autologous tissue grafts may be needed in severe lack of orthotopic tissue but include donor site morbidity. The placenta is commonly discarded after birth and has a therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to determine if the amnion from placenta or plasma rich of growth factors (PRGF) with m...

In view of reported attempts at marrow grafting after nuclear accidents with a broad range of radiation exposures, the present study explored the total-body irradiation (TBI) conditions needed for engraftment in a canine model by using marrow from DLA-identical littermates. Previous studies have shown that such grafts are consistently successful when recipients are exposed to 920 cGy of TBI del...

BACKGROUND Pterygium is a common problem and after surgical removal may recur in up to 80% of cases, depending on the technique of primary excision. Recurrent pterygia can be aggressive and repeated excision may result in severe conjunctival scarring and shortening, resulting in insufficient conjunctiva to perform further grafting and lid surgery. When there is insufficient autologous conjuncti...