Evaluation of tissue-engineered blood vessel with ultrasound computed tomography

Tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) represent a critical advancement in vascular medicine, offering transformative potential in drug testing, regenerative therapies, and disease modeling. Current evaluation methods, however, rely heavily on destructive techniques such as histology, which preclude further use of samples and limit real-time monitoring. Ultrasound Computed Tomography (USCT) emerges as a promising alternative, enabling non-destructive, high-resolution imaging within bioreactors. While prior work has demonstrated the feasibility of USCT for TEBV monitoring using needle and tubing phantoms, this study advances the field by imaging real TEBV samples and employing histological analysis as the ground truth for validation. This paper utilizes a prototype USCT system that achieve comprehensive 360-degree reconstructions of TEBV cross-sections. Validated through both needle-phantom studies and histology comparisons, the system demonstrates high accuracy with an average measurement error of 0.03 mm and adaptability within bioreactor environments. Our results underscore USCT’s capacity for non-destructive TEBV evaluation, paving the way for enhanced monitoring during cultivation. Future developments aim to refine image reconstruction and expand clinical applications. • Developed a non-destructive USCT system for imaging TEBVs within a bioreactor. • Validated USCT’s measurement accuracy using needle phantom experiments. • USCT measurements of TEBV geometry align closely with histological results.