ABSTRACT
The search for a patent vascular graft has attracted much attention from researchers and physicians due to the significant number of mortalities in the Western world each year from vascular disease. Vascular bypass grafting for coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease (atherosclerosis) account for the majority of bypass procedures; in addition, the repair of thoracic and abdominal aneurysms is also a prominent use of vascular grafts. This entry begins with a background section detailing the biology of the artery and the basic biology of vascular tissue. It then moves to examine vascular graft requirements, clinically relevant vascular grafts and the insufficiencies and limitations of vascular grafts.
