CHAPTER 11. Small-diameter Acellular Vascular Grafts: From Basic Research to Clinical Application

Although artificial synthetic vascular grafts are routinely used in clinical sites, small-diameter grafts, having inner diameters smaller than 6 mm, have suffered from poor patency due to short-term and intermediate-term thrombosis. Recently, tissue-engineered vascular grafts constructed from cell-based matrix, biodegradable-scaffold, and acellular tissue have been investigated to verify the feasibility for the replacement and bypass of small-diameter blood vessels. In this chapter, focusing on animal studies and clinical trials, we discuss the recent advances in small-diameter vascular grafts related to tissue-engineered and acellular grafts.