Title :
Nondestructive mechanical testing of human knee meniscus allografts using MSSER ultrasound: A feasibility study
Author :
Czernuszewicz, Tomasz J. ; Charoenpanich, Adisri ; Loboa, Elizabeth G. ; Gallippi, Caterina M.
Author_Institution :
Joint Dept. of Biomed. Eng., Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Abstract :
Researchers have begun to investigate novel meniscus graft construction with donor cell replacement through decellularization and host stem cell seeding. In these techniques, there is an unmet need for a nondestructive mechanical testing platform that can monitor changing mechanical properties of the seeded graft over time. In this study, Monitored Steady-State Excitation and Recovery (MSSER) ultrasound, which exploits multiple successive acoustic radiation force excitations interspersed with tracking lines to mimic a materials creep test, was used to nondestructively test the mechanical stiffness of meniscus grafts. Four human meniscus samples were evaluated ex vivo using MSSER: two chemically decellularized samples and two intact samples. MSSER testing measured a median stiffness difference of 37% between intact and decellularized samples, which agreed well with the 35% difference measured by destructive compression testing. Volumetric MSSER scanning showed highly heterogeneous stiffness throughout the samples. This demonstration substantiates the use of MSSER as a relevant nondestructive testing tool in tissue engineering applications.
Keywords :
biomechanics; biomedical ultrasonics; cellular biophysics; creep testing; nondestructive testing; patient monitoring; tissue engineering; MSSER testing; MSSER ultrasound; Monitored Steady-State Excitation and Recovery ultrasound; acoustic radiation force excitation; decellularization; destructive compression testing; donor cell replacement; ex vivo chemically decellularized meniscus sample; feasibility study; host stem cell seeding; human knee meniscus allograft; human meniscus sample; intact meniscus sample; materials creep test; median stiffness difference; meniscus graft construction; meniscus graft mechanical stiffness; nondestructive mechanical testing platform; sample heterogeneous stiffness; seeded graft mechanical property monitoring; tissue engineering application; tracking line; volumetric MSSER scanning; Acoustics; Displacement measurement; Imaging; Monitoring; Steady-state; Testing; Ultrasonic imaging; MSSER; acoustic radiation force; meniscus; non-destructive; tissue engineering;
Conference_Titel :
Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS), 2012 IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Dresden
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-4561-3
DOI :
10.1109/ULTSYM.2012.0336