Scaffolds for bladder tissue engineering

Abstract Bladder dysfunction induced by disease or surgical intervention can result in chronic urinary incontinence and increased upper urinary tract pressure leading to irreversible kidney damage. Currently, the treatment of choice in these patients is enterocystoplasty with the aim to increase bladder capacity and lower the storage pressure. However, it fails to restore the emptying function and is associated with complications such as increased mucus production, metabolic disturbances, urolithiasis, infections, and even malignancy. To prevent these, various materials have been tried for reconstruction with only limited success so far. This chapter aims to address the current challenges and opportunities associated with the use of tissue engineering scaffolds for the repair and reconstruction of the functional bladder.