Spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging of cartilage damage

M Wu,B.C.J Van Teeffelen,K Ito,F.N Van De Vosse,R.P.A Janssen,C.C Van Donkelaar,R.G.P Lopata

doi:10.1016/j.joca.2021.04.001

M Wu, B.C.J Van Teeffelen + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2021.04.001

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Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease characterized by progressive degradation of cartilage. It affects more than 10% of the people aged over 60 years-old worldwide with a rising prevalence due to the increasingly aging population. OA is a major source of pain, disability, and socioeconomic cost. Currently, the lack of effective diagnosis and affordable imaging options for early detection and monitoring of OA presents the clinic with many challenges. Spectroscopic Photoacoustic (sPA) imaging has the potential to reveal changes in cartilage composition with different degrees of damage, based on optical absorption contrast. In this study, the capabilities of sPA imaging and its potential to characterize cartilage damage were explored. To this end, 15 pieces of cartilage samples from patients undergoing a total joint replacement were collected and were imaged ex vivo with sPA imaging at a wide optical spectral range (between 500nm and 1,300nm) to investigate the photoacoustic properties of cartilage tissue. All the PA spectra of the cartilage samples were analyzed and compared to the corresponding histological results. The collagen related PA spectral changes were clearly visible in our imaging data and were related to different degrees of cartilage damage. The results are in good agreement with histology and the current gold standard, i.e., the Mankin score. This study demonstrates the potential and possible clinical application of sPA imaging in OA.

Highlights

The development of osteoarthritis (OA) generally starts with the degeneration of cartilage[1]
Their corresponding histological staining results are shown. Comparison of these PA spectra and the histological staining reveals a correlation between PA spectral features and the cartilage damage stage: 1) The least damaged cartilage samples generally have a relatively smooth surface and almost no loss in PG content, indicated by Alcian blue staining
We explored the Cartilage delamination detection with Spectroscopic Photoacoustic (sPA) imaging. (a) Picrosirius red staining and (b) Alcian blue staining of the cartilage sample; (c) the overlaid PA and US image of the cartilage with delamination; The PA spectra extracted from the delamination region at the spectral range of (d) 500 nme[700] nm and (e) 710 nme[1,300] nm. (f) the PA image of the cartilage delamination and (g) PA image of a cartilage sample with the least damage

Summary

Introduction

The development of osteoarthritis (OA) generally starts with the degeneration of cartilage[1]. Detection and reliable monitoring of cartilage damage, or the timely and effective interventions may help to optimize personalized treatment, delay total joint arthroplasty, and achieve better disease control. Clinical diagnostic techniques are not well suitable for this purpose, because they are invasive and subjective (arthroscopy)[2], provide only indirect information of cartilage thickness (radiography and CT)[3], or provide relatively low resolution while being time-consuming and expensive (MRI)[4,5]. To overcome these shortcomings, optical imaging techniques are currently explored for characterizing articular cartilage. While ultrasound (US) imaging demonstrates sufficient imaging depth and resolution and is cheap, fast, and safe, but the acoustic contrast inside soft tissue is limited9e11

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