TISSUE ENGINEERING IN PLASTIC SURGERY - WHAT HAS BEEN DONE

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Tissue engineering merges engineering and life sciences to develop functional biologic substitutes.
• Plastic surgeons play a vital role in the research and clinical application of engineered tissues for reconstructive surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize tissue engineering principles.
• To review current applications, breakthroughs, limitations, and future directions in tissue engineering.
• To cover tissue engineering in skin, craniofacial, musculoskeletal, nerve, vascular, and adipose tissue applications.

Main Methods:

• This study is a narrative review.
• Literature search on tissue engineering principles, applications, and future prospects.

Main Results:

• Tissue engineering research is rapidly expanding with several engineered constructs available.
• Clinical application of engineered tissues is still limited and requires further investigation.

Conclusions:

• Tissue engineering holds significant promise for regenerative medicine and reconstructive surgery.
• Further long-term studies are essential to overcome current limitations and enable widespread clinical adoption.