Free-form fabrication and micro-CT characterization of poly-/spl epsiv/-caprolactone tissue scaffolds

One of the dominant approaches to tissue engineering is the seeding of biodegradable, biocompatible polymer scaffolds with progenitor cells prior to three-dimensional (3-D) culture or implantation. While the macroarchitecture of these scaffolds is important for anatomic fit, the microarchitecture has direct effects upon the ability of cells to attach, migrate, and thrive. Free-form fabrication - specifically, fused deposition - allows for simultaneous control of scaffold shape and microarchitectural characteristics. Microtomographic (micro-CT) scanners enable high-speed 3-D characterization of the salient features of these polymer scaffolds. A micro-CT scan followed by a 3-D reconstruction of serial image sections can determine porosity, pore size, pore interconnectivity, strut size, and 3-D microarchitecture. In this study, a number of polymer samples with different microarchitectures were manufactured through fused deposition free-form fabrication and subsequently characterized through micro-CT analysis. A desktop micro-CT scanner was used to examine each sample at approximately 19.1 μm resolution. Three-dimensional reconstruction and an analysis of core regions of each sample were performed. The results indicate that scaffolds of a specific shape may be constructed with interconnected pores of desired size.