Mechanical strength is a key design factor in tissue engineering of arteries. Most existing
techniques assess the mechanical property of arterial constructs destructively, leading to
sacrifice of a large number of animals. We propose an ultrasound-based non-invasive
technique for the assessment of the mechanical strength of engineered arterial constructs.
Tubular scaffolds made from a biodegradable elastomer and seeded with vascular
fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells were cultured in a pulsatile-flow bioreactor. Scaffold …