Mechanical Characterization of the Wall of a Tissue Engineered Pulmonary Valve Conduit: A Twenty Week In Vivo Study

Current clinical options for congential pulmonary valve disease are limited and associated with several complications, including lack of somatic growth in replacements. Often, surgical intervention also requires the reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. Tissue engineered pulmonary valved conduits have received much attention as a potential therapy, offering prospective long-term functional improvements and accommodating somatic growth [1]. Though in vitro work has been performed, little is known concerning the physical properties and quality of the tissue produced in vivo, owing to small specimen sample sizes and a lack of detailed mechanical analyses. This work focuses on elucidating in vivo time-course changes in the mechanical quality of tissue engineered pulmonary valve conduit.