Cellular cardiomyoplasty: a new therapeutic approach for regenerating the myocardium.

One of the most promising new therapeutic techniques for the augmentation and regeneration of the myocardium is cellular cardiomyoplasty. Reports from animal and clinical investigations indicate that the transplant of different cell types, such as autologous skeletal myoblasts and adult stem cells, into injured myocardium results in the generation of new cardiac myocytes and improvement in myocardial performance. Although there is no consensus with regard to the best cell type to transplant or the extent of myocardial renewal and regeneration, the technique of cardiac cellular myoplasty may become one of the most important advancements in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and heart failure.