Imaging Data for: Sustained Radiopacity of Biodegradable Iodinated Polyether Blends for Tracking Long-Term Degradation in Medical Devices

Data files contain longitudinal micro-Computed Tomography (µCT) scans of phantoms made from biodegradable blends consisting of 90% biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA 50:50) matrix and 10% of an iodinated block co-polymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-co-poly(epichlorohydrin) (PEO-PECH). An in vitro degradation study was performed to assess the effects of iodine amount on device properties with four blends. All contained 90wt% PLGA 50:50 and 10wt% polyether but the polyether was varied based on iodine content in the blend: 1) PEO-PEI5 (0.93 wt%) 2) PEO-PEI15 (2.03 wt% iodine), 3) PEO-PEI30 (2.95 wt% iodine). Dry phantoms were placed into individual, pre-weighed, microcentrifuge tubes. Phantoms were hydrated in pH 7.4 phosphate buffered saline (PBS, Thermo Fisher) on day 0, by adding 1 ml buffer and centrifuging for 10 min at 11,000 rpm. Afterwards immersed phantoms were stored at 37°C, and the buffer was changed bi-weekly and stored at -20°C for iodine measurement. All tomography images were obtained using a Perkin-Elmer Quantum GX. At every time point, groups of phantoms (n=3 each) were imaged at 90 keV, 88 µA, with a 25 mm field of view at a 50 µm resolution. After acquisition, individual phantoms were sub-reconstructed using the Quantum GX software to 12-18 µm resolution. Scans are available as DICOM files, with metadata included.