Use of a special bioreactor for the cultivation of a new flexible polyurethane scaffold for aortic valve tissue engineering.

Background: Tissue engineering represents a promising new method for treating heart valve diseases. The aim of this study was evaluate the importance of conditioning procedures of tissue engineered polyurethane heart valve prostheses by the comparison of static and dynamic cultivation methods.

Methods: Human vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and fibroblasts (FBs) were obtained from saphenous vein segments.