Biomaterials metrology and standardization are necessary for suitable use in medical industries. Nanobiomaterials are used in living creature body, taking into account their biocompatibility, nontoxic and non-carcinogenic effects. These requirements are conditions imposed on many available engineering materials and may lead to eliminate some of them. Thus, the Nanobiomaterials must have accurate and precise assessment to possess adequate physical and mechanical properties and surface characteristics to serve as augmentation or replacement of body tissues. This paper discusses classification and surface assessment of different biomaterials and their reference standards according to proposed development strategy in micro-and nano-scale for use in bioengineering applications in details.
Nowadays, needle artifacts are an essential restriction for MRI-guided interventions, as they influence the visually perceived needle size and needle destination. Standard MRI needles made of Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) alloys still produce massive artifacts in MRI due to materials’ interactions with the magnetic environment. The use of non-metallic materials can reduce these artifacts. Therefore, we propose a nonmetallic concept of a coaxial needle design concept with a fiber-enforced inner core and an outer polymeric hollow sheet. This work aims to evaluate the artifact performance of the proposed needles in a custom-made three-dimensional (3D) tumor model with a relevant size and thickness for medical interventions under MRI guidance using a 3T field strength with a T1-weighted gradient-echo sequence. Three coaxial MRcompatible needles were inserted in the custom-made 3D tissue phantom, one standard needle from NiTi, and two proposed non-metallic needles. Artifact’s width and length were measured for each needle. Overall, the non-metallic needles showed significantly lower artifacts than the standard NiTi needle inside the 3D tumor model.
There is a continuous need for innovative biomaterials with advanced properties to meet the biomechanical requirements of orthopedic implants and interventional devices. Recent research findings show that using material composites leads to significantly improved properties, which are beneficial for medical applications. Therefore, this work aims at studying polymer-polymer composites of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which were mixed with and without reinforcement of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in two steps. An extensive characterization workflow including mechanical tensile tests, tribological performance, and surface characteristics was used to analyze the reinforced polymer-polymer composite samples. The results of the mechanical tests showed that the developed MWCNT-reinforced samples achieved better performance, due to a higher yield point that is the highest in the sample with 48.5% HDPE-50% UHMWPE-0.5% MWCNTs, a higher value in the hardness test peaking in the sample with 49.5% HDPE-50% UHMWPE-0.5% MWCNTs, and a lower friction coefficient in HDPE-UHMWPE-MWCNTs samples. Overall, the reinforcement of polymer-polymer composites with MWCNTs led to a significant improvement of the material characteristics required for the designated use in orthopedic implants and interventional biopsy needles, which will lead to improved clinical results.
Interventional biopsy needles need to be accurately localized to the target tissue during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) interventions. In this context, severe susceptibility artifacts affect the visibility of structures in the MR images depending on the needle’s material composition. In particular, standard needles for the spinal cord made of nickel-titanium alloys (NiTi) generate massive susceptibility artifacts during MRI. Consequently, this does not allow the precise placement of the needle to the target. The aim was to prove that using a non-metallic material for the needle can significantly reduce the appearance of artifacts. Hence, this work used a new combination of non-metallic materials based on an enforced fiber bundle as an inner core with different outer hollow sheets to fabricate seven prototypes of interventional spinal needles to optimize their visualization in MRI scans. Susceptibility artifacts for the non-metallic needles were evaluated in MRI images by an automatic quantification based on a K-means algorithm and compared with manual quantification. The width and length of the artifacts were measured for each needle. The non-metallic needles showed significantly lower artifacts in comparison to the standard needle. K-means provided the capability for detecting needle artifacts in MRI images, facilitating qualitative and quantitative assessment of MRI artifacts.
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