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Pastrama M, van Hees R, Stavenuiter I, Petterson NJ, Ito K, Lopata R, van Donkelaar CC. Characterization of intra-tissue strain fields in articular cartilage explants during post-loading recovery using high frequency ultrasound. J Biomech 2022; 145:111370. [PMID: 36375264 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This study aims to demonstrate the potential of ultrasound elastography as a research tool for non-destructive imaging of intra-tissue strain fields and tissue quality assessment in cartilage explants. Osteochondral plugs from bovine patellae were loaded up to 10, 40, or 70 N using a hemi-spherical indenter. The load was kept constant for 15 min, after which samples were unloaded and ultrasound imaging of strain recovery over time was performed in the indented area for 1 h. Tissue strains were determined using speckle tracking and accumulated to LaGrangian strains in the indentation direction. For all samples, strain maps showed a heterogeneous strain field, with the highest values in the superficial cartilage under the indenter tip at the bottom of the indent and decreasing values in the deeper cartilage. Strains were higher at higher load levels and tissue recovery over time was faster after indentation at 10 N than at 40 N and 70 N. At lower compression levels most displacement occurred near the surface with little deformation in the deep layers, while at higher levels strains increased more evenly in all cartilage zones. Ultrasound elastography is a promising method for high resolution imaging of intra-tissue strain fields and evaluation of cartilage quality in tissue explants in a laboratory setting. In the future, it may become a clinical diagnostic tool used to identify the extent of cartilage damage around visible defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pastrama
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Roy van Hees
- Cardiovascular Biomechanics, Photoacoustics & Ultrasound Laboratory Eindhoven (PULS/e), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Isabel Stavenuiter
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Niels J Petterson
- Cardiovascular Biomechanics, Photoacoustics & Ultrasound Laboratory Eindhoven (PULS/e), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Keita Ito
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Lopata
- Cardiovascular Biomechanics, Photoacoustics & Ultrasound Laboratory Eindhoven (PULS/e), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
| | - Corrinus C van Donkelaar
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.
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Motavalli M, Jones C, Berilla JA, Li M, Schluchter MD, Mansour JM, Welter JF. Apparatus and Method for Rapid Detection of Acoustic Anisotropy in Cartilage. J Med Biol Eng 2020; 40:419-427. [PMID: 32494235 DOI: 10.1007/s40846-020-00518-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Articular cartilage is known to be mechanically anisotropic. In this paper, the acoustic anisotropy of bovine articular cartilage and the effects of freeze-thaw cycling on acoustic anisotropy were investigated. Methods We developed apparatus and methods that use a magnetic L-shaped sample holder, which allowed minimal handling of a tissue, reduced the number of measurements compared to previous studies, and produced highly reproducible results. Results SOS was greater in the direction perpendicular to the articular surface compared to the direction parallel to the articular surface (N=17, P = 0.00001). Average SOS was 1,758 ± 107 m/s perpendicular to the surface, and 1,617 ± 55 m/s parallel to it. The average percentage difference in SOS between the perpendicular and parallel directions was 8.2% (95% CI: 5.4% to 11%). Freeze-thaw cycling did not have a significant effect on SOS (P>0.4). Conclusion Acoustic measurement of tissue properties is particularly attractive for work in our laboratory since it has the potential for nondestructive characterization of the properties of developing engineered cartilage. Our approach allowed us to observe acoustic anisotropy of articular cartilage rapidly and reproducibly. This property was not significantly affected by freeze-thawing of the tissue samples, making cryopreservation practical for these assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Motavalli
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA.,Case Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - Jim A Berilla
- Department of Civil Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA.,Case Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA.,Case Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Mark D Schluchter
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA.,Case Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Joseph M Mansour
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University all Cleveland, OH, USA.,Case Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jean F Welter
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA.,Case Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage, Case Western Reserve University, all Cleveland, OH, USA
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Steppacher SD, Hanke MS, Zurmühle CA, Haefeli PC, Klenke FM, Tannast M. Ultrasonic cartilage thickness measurement is accurate, reproducible, and reliable-validation study using contrast-enhanced micro-CT. J Orthop Surg Res 2019; 14:67. [PMID: 30813958 PMCID: PMC6391750 DOI: 10.1186/s13018-019-1099-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ultrasonography is a fast and patient-friendly modality to assess cartilage thickness. However, inconsistent results regarding accuracy have been reported. Therefore, we asked what are (1) the accuracy, (2) reproducibility, and (3) reliability of ultrasonographic cartilage thickness measurement using contrast-enhanced micro-CT for validation? Methods A series of 50 cartilage–bone plugs were harvested from fresh bovine and porcine joints. Ultrasonic cartilage thickness was determined using an A-mode, 20-MHz hand-held ultrasonic probe with native (1580 m/s) and adjusted speed of sound (1696 m/s). All measurements were performed by two observers at two different occasions. Angle of insonation was controlled by tilting the device and recording minimal thickness. Retrieval of exact location for measurement was facilitated by aligning the circular design of both cartilage–bone plug and ultrasonic device. There was no soft tissue interference between cartilage surface and ultrasonic probe. Ground truth measurement was performed using micro-CT with iodine contrast agent and a voxel size of 16 μm. The mean cartilage thickness was 1.383 ± 0.402 mm (range, 0.588–2.460 mm). Results Mean accuracy was 0.074 ± 0.061 mm (0.002–0.256 mm) for native and 0.093 ± 0.098 mm (0.000–0.401 mm) for adjusted speed of sound. Bland–Altman analysis showed no systematic error. High correlation was found for native and adjusted speed of sound with contrast-enhanced micro-CT (both r = 0.973; p < 0.001). A perfect agreement for reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.992 and 0.994) and reliability (ICC 0.993, 95% confidence interval 0.990–0.995) was found. Conclusions Ultrasonic cartilage thickness measurement could be shown to be highly accurate, reliable, and reproducible. The A-mode ultrasonic cartilage thickness measurement is a fast and patient-friendly modality which can detect early joint degeneration and facilitate decision making in joint preserving surgery. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13018-019-1099-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Damian Steppacher
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Markus Simon Hanke
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Corinne Andrea Zurmühle
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Cyrill Haefeli
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Frank Michael Klenke
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Moritz Tannast
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
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Aoki T, Nitta N, Furukawa A. Non-invasive speed of sound measurement in cartilage by use of combined magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound: an initial study. Radiol Phys Technol 2013; 6:480-5. [PMID: 23728708 DOI: 10.1007/s12194-013-0223-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2012] [Revised: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The speed of sound (SOS) is available as an index of elasticity. Using a combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, one can measure the SOS. In this study, we verified the accuracy of SOS measurements by using a combination of MRI and ultrasound. The accuracy of the thickness measurements was confirmed by comparison of the results obtained with use of MRI with those of a non-contact laser, and the accuracy of the calculated SOS values was confirmed by comparison of the results of the combined method and ultrasound measurements with the transmission method ex vivo. There was no significant difference between thickness measurements by MRI and those with the non-contact laser, and there was a significant linear correlation between SOS measurement results by use of the combined method and those by use of the transmission method. We also showed that the SOS values obtained agreed with those of previously published studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takako Aoki
- Department of Radiological Science, Graduate School of Human Health Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 7-2-10 Higashiogu, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo 116-855, Japan.
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