Diagnostics of femoral head status in humans using laser spectroscopy – In vitro studies

Abstract

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), a recalcitrant and disabling disease, is caused by inadequate or fully disrupted blood supply to the affected segment of the subchondral bone. Theoretically, there will develop gas-filled pores during the bone decay process due to lacking blood supply. Unfortunately, the relationship between the gas-filled pores and ONFH is still unclear. Here, we have introduced diode laser absorption spectroscopy to detect oxygen and water vapor signals in the femoral heads from hip replacement in 19 patients. Five samples are affected by osteoarthritis (OA) and the others are related to ONFH. Oxygen and water vapor signals could be obtained, demonstrating the presence of gas-filled pores in both the OA and ONFH groups while the measurement results showed no significant difference. A study of gas exchange was also performed on one excised bone sample to study how these gas pores communicate with the ambient air. The results suggested that the obtained oxygen signals inside the bone samples originate from the invasion of ambient air, which is not expected in vivo. In conclusion, the ability to detect the gas signal of laser absorption spectroscopy shows the potential for the medical application of assessing the human femoral head in vivo.

Biophotonics in China

“…Besides the above‐mentioned representative work, the research interests of China researchers are quite diverse, covering technique development through to biomedical applications. Consulting the papers published over the last three years in Journal of Biophotonics, the hot topics include photoacoustic microscopy , other technical improvement for imaging , photodynamic therapy , and human studies .…”

Laser-based gas absorption spectroscopy in decaying hip bone: water vapor as a predictor of osteonecrosis

“…Once ischemia occurs with deficient blood supply, the pathological process in the femoral head starts with the development of sclerosis, flattening, sequestrum formation, and secondary osteoarthritis (OA). 8 Our findings from a recent study, 9 that the decaying bone develops enclosed pores filled with gas including water vapor, are possibly related to earlier knowledge of increased tissue volume. 8 Our findings are also partly supported by the use of one of the few therapy options that are applied-core decompression.…”

“…[13][14][15][16][17] We have also employed the technique in various food safety studies. 18 As mentioned, we applied GASMAS in orthopedic application within the field of ONFH, 9 and this study represents a follow-up. Due to nonavailability, the earlier study did not include normal bone tissue, and therefore we could not compare normal and diseased conditions, which now was possible in this study.…”

Towards an optical diagnostic system for otitis media using a combination of otoscopy and spectroscopy

“…The GASMAS technique, which is reviewed in Ref. , has the ability to detect and characterize free gas, and the method has subsequently been applied to investigations of the sinus cavities , neonatal lungs and the femoral head . It has the potential to non‐invasively measure the concentration of oxygen also behind the eardrum, where oxygen relates to ventilation and possibly to bacterial/viral origin of infection.…”