In-Vivo Tissue Engineering of Vascularised Adipose Tissue for Breast Reconstruction: Long-Term Results and Transplantation

• Published in: Tissue engineering. Part A Vol. 15; no. 3; p. 728
• Main Authors: Dolderer, J H, Findlay, M W, Abberton, K, Trost, N, Cooper-White, Schaller, H-E, Morrison, WA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.03.2009
• ISSN: 1937-3341; 1937-335X

Aim: A high demand exists for soft tissue reconstruction with adipose tissue. Especially tissue engineering of complex three-dimensional tissue, in particular for breast reconstruction, requires vascularisation for its survival, with a view to transplanting it into the in vivo situation.The aim was to establish a technique for the de-novo generation of large amounts of vascularised, stable and transplant-able adipose tissue using a growth chamber in an animal model. Methods: We examined the use of an vascularised adipose tissue flap (4% of the chamber volume) and a matrix scaffold in a growth chamber in the rat (1.7ml). Subsequently, we used the method in the pig with a growth chamber of 78ml volume and following pedicled transplantation of the new generated adipose tissue to simulate in-situ breast reconstruction. Magnetic Resonance An-giography (MRA) assessed tissue growth and vascularisation within the chamber. Results: At 12 weeks post-insertion, the entire chamber was filled with new tissue and the adipose tissue was grown up to 60% of the chamber volume. The MRA was capable of monitoring vessel patency. Histology could confirm true hyperplasia and adipose precursor cell stimulation. No pathological changes have been seen. After pedicled transplantation, the newly generated tissue stayed stable in volume after 22 weeks. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a promising method of producing significant amounts of vascularised, stable and transferable adipose tissue by stem cell stimulation that can be monitored non-invasively by MRA. This is an important step towards development of a permanent autologous soft tissue replacement and a clinical application.