Cellular transplantation: New horizons in the surgical management of heart failure

End-stage heart failure results from the irreversible destruction of cardiomyocytes, which do not have the capacity to regenerate. Transplantation of myogenic cells into the damaged myocardium is an emerging therapeutic alternative in the management of this major public health problem. Experimental and clinical data suggest that cellular transplantation could improve ventricular function in ischaemic or dilated cardiomyopathies. Implantation of allogeneic and autologous cell types has been applied to induce cardiac myogenesis and, recently, other cell types have been tested for the induction of myocardial angiogenesis. The results of cellular transplantation are encouraging although the role of therapeutic angiogenesis remains to be clarified and the full potential of cellular transplantation to be determined.