Reconstruction Strategies of the Ureter and Urinary Diversion using Tissue Engineering Approaches

The standard for long-segment reconstruction of the ureter and urinary diversion is the creation of neo-tissue using autologous bowel tissue, albeit associated with multiple complications. Tissue-engineered (TE) constructs may provide alternative solutions. Here, we review ureter reconstruction and urinary diversion using Tissue Engineering approaches. A literature search strategy was applied in PubMed to identify all available preclinical studies published up until September 2018. Subsequently, studies were screened for scaffolds used and relevance (e.g. reconstruction of full circumferential defects in preclinical settings) and further categorized based on whether grafts were directly implanted, seeded with cells prior to implantation, or preimplanted (with or without cells) before functional implantation. Future prospects are discussed with emphasis on scaffold design and functional tissue maturation of tissue engineered constructs to foster clinical translation.