Structural analysis of porous bioactive glass scaffolds using micro-computed tomographic images

Three-dimensional structural properties such as pore size, interconnectivity, and tortuosity of scaffold play an essential role in bone tissue regeneration. We report the structural characterization of bioactive glass-based scaffolds by employing micro-computed tomography (µCT) imaging. µCT images were filtered and binarized to get 3D reconstruction of the scaffold. Fast march method was applied on 3D reconstructed scaffold to estimate tortuosity. Further, Canny edge detection algorithm was used to identify pore boundaries. Graph traversal algorithm was used to identify pore networks as open, close, and through. Pore and minimum throat size for a through path were quantified using equivalent circle diameter based on ASTM F2603-06. The porosity (66.69%), mean pore size (443 µm), mean pore throat diameter (131 µm), and tortuosity in different planes (~ 1) imply suitability of the scaffold for bone tissue engineering. Any porous sample can be characterized by the methodology directly with µCT or other imaging techniques.