MicroCT and contrast-enhanced microCT imaging to improve treatments for cardiovascular diseases
(2024)
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- Abstract
- Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arterial wall causing narrowing of the blood vessels. Two of the main surgical treatments for atherosclerosis include vascular grafts and intravascular stents. However, these treatments need to be improved to reduce the number of people facing disability. Additionally, disease mechanisms and the native complex and heterogeneous 3D microstructure of vascular tissues are not well understood. X-ray microfocus computed tomography (microCT) is a powerful imaging technique, delivering three-dimensional insights of complex structures in a non-destructive way. Enhanced further by the integration of contrast-enhancing staining agents (CESAs), the application of microCT has broadened to soft tissue imaging, or contrast-enhanced microCT imaging (CECT). This thesis is dedicated to the optimization and application of microCT and CECT to provide 3D quantitative information on the native blood vessel wall of different vessel types and in different species. This information is compared to the microstructure of current synthetic vascular grafts and helps to understand the gap in functional behavior that remains between native tissue and synthetic grafts. Finally, microCT and CECT are combined to study the in vitro and in vivo behavior of potential candidate materials for biodegradable intravascular stents. The latter offer an alternative to current permanent stents to mitigate their long-term complications. This brings insights into the degradation behavior and biological integration of different candidate metals for improved biodegradable stents. The imaging techniques and processing tools in this thesis aim to provide a better description of the native blood vessel wall and its constituents and support the development of optimized disease treatments.
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Citations
Leyssens, L. (2024). MicroCT and contrast-enhanced microCT imaging to improve treatments for cardiovascular diseases. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/242593