A method for producing a muscular tissue-engineered construct comprising the steps of: (a) providing a porous substrate comprising a biocompatible material having a hydrophilic surface, wherein said substrate comprises a porous mesh of fibers, said porous substrate having an inner surface and outer surface, wherein said inner surface of the porous substrate defines a lumen and wherein said substrate has a void volume of greater than 90% and wherein said substrate is biodegradeable; (b) providing a distensible body within the lumen of the substrate, wherein the distensible body is capable of distending within the lumen so as to contact the inner surface of the substrate; (c) contacting said porous substrate with a suspension comprising smooth muscle cells capable of adhering thereto and providing a seeding time of 10-30 minutes, thereby forming a primary cell seeded construct; (d) maintaining said primary cell-seeded construct for a first growth period in an environment suitable for growth of said smooth muscle cells in the primary cell-seeded construct to form a primary tissue-engineered construct which environment does not include streptomycin; and (e) during the first growth period providing cyclical increases in pressure within the distensible body thereby causing said distensible body to distend within the lumen of the construct, thereby applying pulsatile stretch to the construct such as to cause an increase in the inner diameter of the construct by at least 2% and which permits the smooth muscle cells to orient circumferentially around said lumen to form a primary tissue-engineered construct having a cell density of at least 10 7 cells/cc; thereby forming a muscular tissue engineered construct which is capable of withstanding an internal pressure of greater than 2000 mm Hg for at least an hour without rupturing. (a) providing a porous substrate comprising a biocompatible material having a hydrophilic surface, wherein said substrate comprises a porous mesh of fibers, said porous substrate having an inner surface and outer surface, wherein said inner surface of the porous substrate defines a lumen and wherein said substrate has a void volume of greater than 90% and wherein said substrate is biodegradeable; (b) providing a distensible body within the lumen of the substrate, wherein the distensible body is capable of distending within the lumen so as to contact the inner surface of the substrate; (c) contacting said porous substrate with a suspension comprising smooth muscle cells capable of adhering thereto and providing a seeding time of 10-30 minutes, thereby forming a primary cell seeded construct; (d) maintaining said primary cell-seeded construct for a first growth period in an environment suitable for growth of said smooth muscle cells in the primary cell-seeded construct to form a primary tissue-engineered construct which environment does not include streptomycin; and (e) during the first growth period providing cyclical increases in pressure within the distensible body thereby causing said distensible body to distend within the lumen of the construct, thereby applying pulsatile stretch to the construct such as to cause an increase in the inner diameter of the construct by at least 2% and which permits the smooth muscle cells to orient circumferentially around said lumen to form a primary tissue-engineered construct having a cell density of at least 10 7 cells/cc;