Quantifying Physical Thrombus Characteristics on Cardiovascular Biomaterials Using MicroCT.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Medical Device Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Hemocompatibility is crucial for cardiovascular devices.
• Current preclinical hemocompatibility assessments lack 3D thrombus physical parameter quantification.
• Ex vivo arteriovenous shunt models quantify thrombosis but not physical dimensions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop and validate a novel method to quantify 3D thrombus physical properties on cardiovascular biomaterials.
• Assess thrombus formation on expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and a poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel.
• Correlate physical thrombus characteristics with platelet and fibrin deposition.

Main Methods:

• Developed unique radiopaque methods for thrombus or lumen visualization within grafts.
• Utilized X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT) for 3D imaging of thrombi in ex vivo arteriovenous shunts.
• Applied advanced image analysis to quantify average thrombus volume and physical parameters.

Main Results:

• The microCT methodology strongly correlated with caliper measurements (R² = 0.994, p < 0.0001).
• Quantified 3D physical characteristics of thrombi formed on different biomaterials under blood flow.
• Physical thrombus properties showed strong correlation with platelet and fibrin deposition.

Conclusions:

• Successfully applied microCT and advanced image analysis to quantitatively measure 3D thrombus parameters.
• This novel method provides critical physical insights into biomaterial hemocompatibility under flow.
• The findings advance the preclinical assessment of cardiovascular biomaterials.