Generation and simulated imaging of pseudo-scaffolds to aid characterisation by X-ray micro CT

In order to assess the suitability of polymer tissue scaffolds for use in regenerative medicine, methods to characterise scaffolds are needed. This requires the scaffold's structure to be determined for which X-ray microscopic computed tomography (X-ray micro CT) is widely used. However, because scaffolds are generally made of materials with low X-ray attenuating properties the images produced are far from ideal, which makes distinguishing scaffold material from the pores within it a non-trivial process. This paper presents a method for generating computer-simulated scaffolds that resemble the form of foamed polymer tissue scaffolds. Virtual images of the scaffold are then produced via a simulated X-ray micro CT process enabling the effect of varying the key parameters in the imaging process to be investigated. Here this is assessed via the calculated porosity of the sample, this being a simple measure of a scaffold's properties. Results highlight the difficulties in using X-ray micro CT to characterise scaffolds constructed from materials with low X-ray attenuating properties and suggest strategies that may be adopted in order to improve the quality of the images produced.