Assessment of human soft tissue microstructure under tensile load by using the Skyscan 1176 system: preliminary results

This study aimed to analyse the changes given by different levels of strain in the 3D microstructure of a fibrous soft tissue by using a microtomography system (micro-CT, Bruker Skyscan 1176) integrated with a custom-made tensioning device. Without loss of generality, the proposed approach was applied to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. Two different samples were specifically analysed: a cadaveric tissue harvested by a healthy donor and a specimen obtained by a patient, who underwent total knee arthroplasty. Analysis was carried out by means of standard microtomographic procedures and focused on fiber orientation and stress-strain characteristic. Findings highlighted a clear difference in terms of fibrous density and arrangement between the two specimens. Besides providing proper mechanomicrostructural fingerprints for each human ligament/tendon and increasing the understanding on the effects of osteoarthritis on joint soft tissues, this approach can be useful also in tissue engineering, since it suggests correlation between tissue arrangements and mechanical behaviour