This study proposes a production method capable of producing vascular grafts from fully synthetic, resorbable polymers that both meet basic minimum mechanical requirements for potential vascular grafts, and have a compliance similar to that of the intended vasculature being replaced. All of the electrospun vascular grafts in this work meet the minimum mechanical requirements for compliance, bur...

336 ©2013 Society For Biomaterials

Although artificial vessels are available for large diameter arteries, there are no artificial vessels for small diameter arteries of < 4 mm. We created a decellularized vascular scaffold (length, 10 mm; outer diameter, 1.5 mm; inner diameter, 1.3 mm) from rat abdominal arteries. We measured the biomechanical characteristics of the scaffolds, implanted them to defects made in rat carotid arteri...

Abstract Today, computer aided assessment of ultrasound video sequences is considered the gold standard. Ultrasound analysis forms an integral part of the medical research studies performed at the DLR. Currently, two studies are being performed that obtain ultrasound measurements of vascular structures. In this project, a software is developed that supports these and future studies in providing...

To better engineer small-diameter blood vessels, a few types of novel scaffolds were fabricated from biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) by means of thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) techniques. By utilizing the differences in thermal conductivities of the mold materials, the scaffolds with oriented gradient microtubular structures in axial or radial direction were created using be...

In idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), increased pulmonary vascular resistance is associated with structural narrowing of small (resistance) vessels and increased vascular tone. Current information on pulmonary vascular remodeling is mostly limited to averaged increases in wall thickness, but information on number of vessels affected and internal diameter decreases for vessels of ...

A tissue-engineered small-diameter arterial graft would be of benefit to patients requiring vascular reconstructive procedures. Our objective was to produce a tissue-engineered vascular graft with a high patency rate that could withstand arterial pressures. Rat arteries were acellularized with a series of detergent solutions, recellularized by incubation with a primary culture of endothelial ce...