ABSTRACT
There are a number of conditions of the bladder that can lead to loss of function. Many of these require reconstructive procedures. However, current techniques may lead to a number of complications. Replacement of bladder tissues with functionally equivalent ones created in the laboratory could improve the outcome of reconstructive surgery. A number of animal studies and several landmark clinical experiences show that it is possible to reconstruct the bladder using tissues and neo-organs produced in the laboratory. Current research suggests that the use of biomaterialbased, bladder-shaped scaffolds seeded with autologous urothelial and smooth muscle cells is currently the best option for bladder tissue engineering. However, materials that could be used to create functionally equivalent urologic tissues in the laboratory, especially embryonic stem cells, have many ethical and technical limitations. Further research to develop novel biomaterials and cell sources,
as well as information gained from developmental biology, signal transduction studies, and studies of the wound healing response would be beneficial.
