[Tissue engineering of heart valves: new opportunities and challenges]

Replacement of heart valves appears to be prevailing method of surgical correction of end stage valvular heart defects. Main drawback of contemporary artificial valves is lack of growth, potential for remodeling, and inclination to degeneration. To overcome these limitations the modern science in the last decade focuses on tissue engineering of valves as an alternative to their prostheses. Basic idea of the technique is the use of decellularized xenogenic allogenic matrix or biopolymers seeded with autologous cells under special conditions created in bioreactor. This literature review is devoted to a novel direction in experimental cardiosurgery - tissue engineering of heart valves which in a unique way combines biological, engineering, and technological achievements.