From the Research
Definition of a Graft
- A graft is a section of skin, of variable thickness and size, completely detached from its original site and moved to cover the zone to be repaired 1
- Grafts can be classified according to their thickness into split thickness (or partial) and full thickness, with split-thickness grafts further divided into thin, intermediate, and thick 1
- Grafts can also be classified based on their origin into autografts (same individual), homografts (different subjects of the same species), and hetero- or xenografts (different species) 1
Types of Grafts
- Split-thickness skin grafts, which usually take well 1
- Full-thickness skin grafts, which only take if they are relatively small 1
- Mesh grafts, which are split-thickness or full-thickness skin grafts with parallel rows of staggered slits to allow expansion and drainage 2
- Burow's grafts, which are full-thickness skin grafts using adjacent lax skin as the donor site 3
Grafting in Other Contexts
- Grafting is also used in plant propagation, where it combines desirable roots and shoots to generate chimeras that are more vigorous, pathogen resistant, and abiotic stress resistant 4
- Graft-versus-tumor (GVT) reactivity is a form of cellular immunotherapy used in allogeneic stem cell transplantation to target hematologic malignancies 5