A comparative in vivo ultrasonometric evaluation of normal and delayed fracture healing in sheep tibiae

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To compare normal and delayed bone healing by measuring ultrasound conduction velocity across the bone callus.METHODS:A model of transverse linear and 5 mm resection osteotomies of sheep tibiae was used. Fourteen sheep were operated on and were divided into two groups of seven according to osteotomy type. The procedure was performed on the right tibiae and the intact left tibiae were used as controls. The transverse and axial ultrasound velocities were measured at 30-day intervals for 90 days, after which the animals were killed and both the right and left tibiae were resected for in vitro biomechanical analysis.RESULTS:Both the transverse and axial ultrasound velocities progressively increased, but the increase was smaller for the delayed union that resulted from the resection osteotomy. The mechanical resistance was higher for the normally healed tibiae that resulted from a linear osteotomy; this result closely correlated with the ultrasound velocity results. Significant differences were found for the comparisons between the intact and operated tibiae in both groups and between the groups for both the transverse and axial ultrasound velocities, but the differences were greater for the latter.CONCLUSION:We conclude that in vivo transverse and axial ultrasound velocities provide highly precise information about the healing state of both linear and resection diaphyseal osteotomies, but the axial ultrasound velocity most likely has greater discriminatory power. This method has the potential for clinical application in humans.

Preliminary results of vibro-acoustography evaluation of bone surface and bone fracture

“…More recently nonlinear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy technique has been used to monitor fatigue cortical bone micro damage (22). Ultrasonometry may be used to identify bone fractures in experimental and in vivo studies and to monitor fracture healing (23)(24)(25)(26)(27). To our knowledge, we found no previous papers showing VA images of bone fractures.…”

Correlation between ultrasound velocity and densitometry in fresh and demineralized cortical bone

“…Therefore, theoretically, both could be used to provide an indirect measure of those properties. It has already been demonstrated, for instance, that ultrasonometry can help diagnose the healing status of fractures and can be used as an ancillary method for that purpose, particularly when the precise situation cannot be assured by conventional methods (radiographs, CT) beyond any doubt 25,26,27,28,29,30,31.…”

In vivo standardization of bone ultrasonometry of the clavicle

“…Several studies have reported the use of quantitative ultrasonometry during the process of fracture union in animal bones 11 12 13 14 , including certain in vivo studies 15 16 17 . The few studies that have been conducted in humans have focused on the tibia 18 19 20 21 .…”