Current concepts and advances in the application of tissue engineering in otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery

Objective: This paper reviews the progress in the rapidly expanding scientific discipline of tissue engineering, which may have an integral role in the future of otorhinolaryngology. This article seeks to inform on the current concepts and principles of tissue engineering, and describe the state of the art research and developments in this exciting field as applied to ENT and head and neck surgery. Method: In order to carry out a comprehensive review of the literature spanning the past 30 years, a search of relevant publications was performed using the Web of Knowledge, Medline and PubMed databases. Results: This search identified 85 scholarly articles, which were utilised as the basis of this review. Conclusion: Given the current rate of development of tissue engineering research, it is likely that tissue-engineered implants will be widely used in surgical practice, including ENT and head and neck surgery. © 2012 JLO (1984) Limited.