Novel Imaging Analysis System to Measure the Spatial Dimension of Engineered Tissue Construct

Abstract

The measurement of the spatial dimensions of tissue-engineered constructs is very important for their clinical applications. In this study, a novel method to measure the volume of tissue-engineered constructs was developed using iterative mathematical computations. The method measures and analyzes three-dimensional (3D) parameters of a construct to estimate its actual volume using a sequence of software-based mathematical algorithms. The mathematical algorithm is composed of two stages: the shape extraction and the determination of volume. The shape extraction utilized 3D images of a construct: length, width, and thickness, captured by a high-quality camera with charge coupled device. The surface of the 3D images was then divided into fine sections. The area of each section was measured and combined to obtain the total surface area. The 3D volume of the target construct was then mathematically obtained using its total surface area and thickness. The accuracy of the measurement method was verified by comparing the results with those obtained from the hydrostatic weighing method (Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science [KRISS], Korea). The mean difference in volume between two methods was 0.0313 +/- 0.0003% (n = 5, P = 0.523) with no significant statistical difference. In conclusion, our image-based spatial measurement system is a reliable and easy method to obtain an accurate 3D volume of a tissue-engineered construct.

The chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells on an extracellular matrix scaffold derived from porcine chondrocytes

“…The volume of samples was determined using their 3-D images obtained using a CCD camera and a computer program developed previously in our laboratory [22].…”

Cartilage engineering using cell‐derived extracellular matrix scaffold in vitro

“…In this study, the initial mechanical strength of ECM construct never decreased, rather increased with time, whereas PGA construct became rapidly weaker regardless of ECM synthesis. We recently developed a new technique to measure size by using a computer‐assisted image analyzing system 19. Compared with the conventional two‐dimensional (2D) method, which simply measures the diameter of the constructs,6, 8, 30 the new technique allows three‐dimensional volume measurements.…”

“…Gross morphology was observed after culturing the chondrocytes‐seeded cell‐derived ECM and PGA scaffolds. The volume of neocartilage tissue was measured using a computer vision system developed in our laboratory 19. Three images of anteroposterior, posteroanterior, and lateral views of the neocartilage (256 × 256 pixels) were briefly obtained on a white background and put into the computer vision system.…”

“…The volume of neocartilage tissue was measured using a computer vision system developed in our laboratory. 19 Three images of anteroposterior, posteroanterior, and lateral views of the neocartilage (256 3 256 pixels) were briefly obtained on a white background and put into the computer vision system. The sequence of the image processing algorithm was divided into three stages of image preparation, shape extraction, and surface area measure-ments.…”

Silk-Fibrin/Hyaluronic Acid Composite Gels for Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Regeneration

“…31 The sequence of image processing algorithms was divided into five stages, that is, shape extraction, and measurement of surface area and volume: (1) image acquisition operations to convert images into digital form (256 by 256); (2) preprocessing operations to obtain an improved image with the same dimensions as the original image; (3) image segment operations to partition a digital image into disjoint and nonoverlapping regions (calculation of area); (4) object measurement operations to measure the characteristics of objects, such as size, shape, and height; and (5) measurement of surface area and volume. One method was developed to measure the surface area and volume of tissue-engineered constructs, which is the derived method.…”