Enhanced Image Processing of Implanted Hydrogel Scaffold Images Using Propagation-Based Imaging Computed Tomography

This study showed how effective masking of dense components (i.e., bone) in propagation-based imaging computed tomography (PBI-CT) scans of biological samples can enhance the outcomes of deep learning denoising techniques. This was performed on ex vivo scans of hydrogel scaffolds im-planted into animal hind limb and suppressing the overwhelm-ing signal from the bone allowed for clearer and more distinct visualization of hydrogel scaffolds. This proved essential for ob-serving the interactions of hydrogel within the physiological en-vironment. The detailed image processing steps offer to improve the practical application of PBI-CT in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research.