BACKGROUND Standard compression therapy for venous ulcers of the legs does not promote healing. Although autografting accelerates tissue repair, it is difficult to use in patients with concomitant diseases or when multiple grafts are required. The amniotic membrane has been used as a covering material and promotes epithelialization, making it a good potential treatment option when autografts ar...

BACKGROUND Oronasal fistulas are a frequent complication after cleft palate surgery. Numerous repair methods have been described, but wound-healing problems occur often. The authors investigated, for the first time, the suitability of multilayered amniotic membrane allograft for fistula repair in a laboratory experiment (part A), a swine model (part B), and an initial patient series (part C). ...

The first reported use of fetal membrane as skin substitute was by Davis in 1910. 1 In 1913, Salbella presented the first clinical report of successful use of amniotic membrane in the treatment of burns and skin ulcerations. 2 In 1940, DeRoth reported the use of amniotic membrane in the repair of conjuctival defects. From 1940 to 1965 a number of clinical trials of successful use of amniotic me...

1. Letko E, Stechschulte SU, Kenyon KR, et al. Amniotic membrane inlay and overlay grafting for corneal epithelial defects and stromal ulcers. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:659-663. 2. Ferreira De Souza R, Hofmann-Rummelt C, Kruse FE, Seitz B. Multilayer amniotic membrane transplantation for corneal ulcers not treatable by conventional therapy—a prospective study of the status of cornea and graft d...

 Amniotic membrane has been employed in the treatment of wounds for almost 100 years, beginning with early application of natural amniotic membrane obtained from labor and delivery to various types of burns and wounds. Amniotic membrane is rich in collagen and various growth factors that support the healing process to both improve wound closure and reduce scar formation. Unique properties...

In addition to the placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid, the amniotic membrane is emerging as an immensely valuable and easily accessible source of stem and progenitor cells. This concise review will focus on the stem/progenitor cell properties of human amniotic epithelial and mesenchymal stromal cells and evaluate the effects exerted by these cells and the amniotic membrane on tissue in...