Surgical option for the correction of Peyronie's disease: an autologous tissue-engineered endothelialized graft.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical treatment is indicated in severe cases of Peyronie's disease. Incision of the plaque with subsequent graft material implantation is the option of choice. Ideal graft tissue is not yet available.

AIM: To evaluate the use of an autologous tissue-engineered endothelialized graft by the self-assembly method, for tunica albuginea (TA) reconstruction in Peyronie's disease.

METHODS: Two TA models were created. Human fibroblasts were isolated from a skin biopsy and cultured in vitro until formation of fibroblast sheets. After 4 weeks of maturation, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were seeded on fibroblasts sheets and wrapped around a tubular support to form a cylinder of about 10 layers. After 21 days of tube maturation, HUVEC were seeded into the lumen of the fibroblast tubes for the endothelialized tunica albuginea (ETA). No HUVEC were seeded into the lumen for the TA model. Both constructs were placed under perfusion in a bioreactor for 1 week.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Histology, immunohistochemistry, and burst pressure were performed to characterize mature tubular graft. Animal manipulations were also performed to demonstrate the impact of endothelial cells in vivo.

RESULTS: Histology showed uniform multilayered fibroblasts. Extracellular matrix, produced entirely by fibroblasts, presented a good staining for collagen 1. Some elastin fibers were also present. For the TA model, anti-human von Willebrand antibody revealed the endothelial cells forming capillary-like structures. TA model reached a burst pressure of 584 mm Hg and ETA model obtained a burst pressure of 719 mm Hg.

CONCLUSIONS: This tissue-engineered endothelialized tubular graft is structurally similar to normal TA and presents an adequate mechanical resistance. The self-assembly method used and the autologous property of this model could represent an advantage comparatively to other available grafts. Further evaluation including functional testing will be necessary to characterize in vivo implantation and behavior of the graft.