Endothelial cell transplantation.

After more than 20 years of autologous endothelial cell transplantation, controversy is slowly giving way to consensus. The ongoing discussion regarding the optimal methods of creating an endothelial layer on synthetic vascular prostheses has been replaced by the realization that both in vitro endothelialization with cultured venous endothelial cells and mixed microvascular sodding result in equilibrated luminal tissue layers covered by a persistant endothelium. Clinical trials with almost 200 in vitro endothelialized prostheses are in their 10th year, and patency results are distinctly better than in nonendothelialized prostheses, particularly in below-the-knee grafts.