ABSTRACT
This chapter lists out physicochemical properties of iron and its possible corrosion products in different solutions. The feasibility of microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in monitoring biocorrosion and bioresorption of iron-based scaffolds was explored in the rabbit model. Micro-CT is an effective method for visually and quantitatively monitoring the biocorrosion and bioresorption of iron-based materials, however, mostly for small animal experiment and ex vivo investigation. Making use of MR image artifact is a suitable noninvasive method to follow up semi quantitatively both in vivo and ex vivo cases. However, special care should be taken for clinical MRI investigation since the iron-based materials are not MRI compatible, but only safe for MRI examination due to their ferromagnetism. The MRI investigation is recommended for clinical noninvasive monitoring of the biocorrosion and bioresorption of iron-based materials.
