Omentum support for cardiac regeneration in ischaemic cardiomyopathy models: a systematic scoping review

Preclinical in vivo studies using omental tissue as a biomaterial for myocardial regeneration are promising and have not previously been collated. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the omentum as a support for bioengineered tissue therapy for cardiac regeneration in vivo.

A systematic scoping review was performed. Only English-language studies that used bioengineered cardio-regenerative tissue, omentum and ischaemic cardiomyopathy in vivo models were included.

We initially screened 1926 studies of which 17 were included in the final qualitative analysis. Among these, 11 were methodologically comparable and 6 were non-comparable. The use of the omentum improved the engraftment of bioengineered tissue by improving cell retention and reducing infarct size. Vascularization was also improved by the induction of angiogenesis in the transplanted tissue. Omentum-supported bioengineered grafts were associated with enhanced host reverse remodelling and improved haemodynamic measurements.

The omentum is a promising support for myocardial regenerative bioengineering in vivo. Future studies would benefit from more homogenous methodologies and reporting of outcomes to allow for direct comparison.