Towards a Whole Sample Imaging Approach Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging to Examine the Foreign Body Response to Explanted Medical Devices
Ruth E. Levey,
Brooke Tornifoglio,
Alan J. Stone,
Christian Kerskens,
Scott T. Robinson,
Fergal B. Coulter,
Robert Bagnall,
Raymond O’Connor,
Eimear B. Dolan,
Peter Dockery,
Gabriella Bellavia,
Stefania Straino,
Francesca Cianfarani,
Paul Johnson,
Eoin O’Cearbhaill,
Caitríona Lally,
Garry P. Duffy
Affiliations
Ruth E. Levey
Discipline of Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
Brooke Tornifoglio
Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R590 Dublin, Ireland
Alan J. Stone
Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R590 Dublin, Ireland
Christian Kerskens
Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R590 Dublin, Ireland
Scott T. Robinson
Discipline of Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
Fergal B. Coulter
UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, D04 R7R0 Dublin, Ireland
Robert Bagnall
Discipline of Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
Raymond O’Connor
Discipline of Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
Eimear B. Dolan
Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 HX31 Galway, Ireland
Peter Dockery
Discipline of Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
Gabriella Bellavia
Preclinical Unit, Explora Biotech Srl, G. Peroni 386, 00131 Rome, Italy
Stefania Straino
Preclinical Unit, Explora Biotech Srl, G. Peroni 386, 00131 Rome, Italy
Francesca Cianfarani
Preclinical Unit, Explora Biotech Srl, G. Peroni 386, 00131 Rome, Italy
Paul Johnson
Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford Centre for Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
Eoin O’Cearbhaill
UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, D04 R7R0 Dublin, Ireland
Caitríona Lally
Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 R590 Dublin, Ireland
Garry P. Duffy
Discipline of Anatomy & Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
Analysing the composition and organisation of the fibrous capsule formed as a result of the Foreign Body Response (FBR) to medical devices, is imperative for medical device improvement and biocompatibility. Typically, analysis is performed using histological techniques which often involve random sampling strategies. This method is excellent for acquiring representative values but can miss the unique spatial distribution of features in 3D, especially when analysing devices used in large animal studies. To overcome this limitation, we demonstrate a non-destructive method for high-resolution large sample imaging of the fibrous capsule surrounding human-sized implanted devices using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). In this study we analyse the fibrous capsule surrounding two unique macroencapsulation devices that have been implanted in a porcine model for 21 days. DTI is used for 3D visualisation of the microstructural organisation and validated using the standard means of fibrous capsule investigation; histological analysis and qualitative micro computed tomography (microCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. DTI demonstrated the ability to distinguish microstructural differences in the fibrous capsules surrounding two macroencapsulation devices made from different materials and with different surface topographies. DTI-derived metrics yielded insight into the microstructural organisation of both capsules which was corroborated by microCT, SEM and histology. The non-invasive characterisation of the integration of implants in the body has the potential to positively influence analysis methods in pre-clinical studies and accelerate the clinical translation of novel implantable devices.