Abstract
Objective and Impact Statement. To study the feasibility of combined functional photoacoustic (PA) and quantitative ultrasound (US) for diagnosis of osteoporosis in vivo based on the detection of chemical and microarchitecture (BMA) information in calcaneus bone. Introduction. Clinically available X-ray or US technologies for the diagnosis of osteoporosis do not report important parameters such as chemical information and BMA. With unique advantages, including good sensitivity to molecular and metabolic properties, PA bone assessment techniques hold a great potential for clinical translation. Methods. By performing multiwavelength PA measurements, the chemical information in the human calcaneus bone, including mineral, lipid, oxygenated-hemoglobin, and deoxygenated-hemoglobin, were assessed. In parallel, by performing PA spectrum analysis, the BMA as an important bone physical property was quantified. An unpaired -test and a two-way ANOVA test were conducted to compare the outcomes from the two subject groups. Results. Multiwavelength PA measurement is capable of assessing the relative contents of several chemical components in the trabecular bone in vivo, including both minerals and organic materials such as oxygenated-hemoglobin, deoxygenated-hemoglobin, and lipid, which are relevant to metabolic activities and bone health. In addition, PA measurements of BMA show good correlations ( up to 0.65) with DEXA. Both the chemical and microarchitectural measurements from PA techniques can differentiate the two subject groups. Conclusion. The results from this initial clinical study suggest that PA techniques, by providing additional chemical and microarchitecture information relevant to bone health, may lead to accurate and early diagnosis, as well as sensitive monitoring of the treatment of osteoporosis.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is a highly prevalent disease, affecting approximately 40% of women and 20% of men over the age of 50 years [1, 2]
This study based on commercial DEXA and Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) technologies confirmed the pathologic conditions of the osteoporotic patients as well as the difference between the two groups of human subjects
To the best of our knowledge, a transmission mode multiwavelength PA and US combined system for measuring human calcaneus bones in vivo was developed, and its performance in diagnosis of osteoporosis was validated via an initial clinical study involving 10 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with osteopenia or osteoporosis
Summary
Osteoporosis is a highly prevalent disease, affecting approximately 40% of women and 20% of men over the age of 50 years [1, 2]. Fragility fractures associated with osteoporosis result in large individual and societal costs. Available diagnostic technologies for osteoporosis rely on either X-ray or ultrasound (US) to assess bone mass. [3] Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques provide a practical and lowcost surrogate for DEXA and have led to commercialized instruments for clinic [4, 5]. QUS assessment of bone structure and strength is mainly performed in the transmission mode and is based on the measurement of two key parameters including speed of sound (SOS) and broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
