Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ex Vivo Intervertebral Disc Bulging Measurement Using a Fibre Bragg Grating Sensor

  • Brief Technical Note
  • Published:
Experimental Mechanics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Advances using optical fibres as sensors may represent an important contribution for development of minimally invasive techniques in biomedical and biomechanical applications. Concerning spine injuries, intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major clinical issue since it represents gross structural disruption and it is irreversible. Measuring biomechanical parameters of the IVD should contribute for better understanding on its mechanical response to external applied forces. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor to measure strain caused by bulging of the intervertebral disc under axial compression. Disc bulging is a consequence of IVD compression and a technique to register this behaviour is addressed in this study. Needle-mounted sensors were already used to measure IVD pressure in cadaveric material. In this study we also explored the possibility of using needles only for sensor guiding and positioning leaving sensor directly in contact with the IVD material. An ex vivo porcine dorsal functional spinal unit was instrumented with a FBG sensor and submitted to axial compression. Results suggest the sensor’s ability to measure strain response to load. Bulging of the annulus fibrosus as a consequence of axial compression was confirmed using the FBG sensor. Hysteresis and viscoelastic behaviour were observable suggesting that energy is dissipated by the deformation of the annulus and that unloading time was insufficient for disc recovery. Nevertheless the relatively low strain sensitivity of the sensor as well as signal artefacts caused by transverse loading may constitute a problem in the analysis and interpretation of strain data. The technique may not be suitable for measurement of physiologic bulging being more indicative of the radial force exerted by the annulus.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

References

  1. Stokes IAF, Iatridis JC (2004) Mechanical conditions that accelerate intervertebral disc degeneration: Overload versus immobilization. Spine 29(23):2724–2732

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Adams M, Roughley P (2006) What is intervertebral disc degeneration, and what causes it? Spine 31(18):2151–2161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Nachemson A (1959) Measurement of intradiscal pressure. Acta Orthop 28(4):269–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Nachemson A, Morris JM (1964) In vivo measurements of intradiscal pressure: discometry, a method for the determination of pressure in the lower lumbar discs. J Bone Joint Surg Am 46(5):1077–1092

    Google Scholar 

  5. Nachemson A (1965) The effect of forward leaning on lumbar intradiscal pressure. Acta Orthop 35(1):314–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Nachemson A, Elfstrom G (1970) Intravital dynamic pressure measurements in lumbar discs. A study of common movements,maneuvers and exercises. Scand J Rehabil Med 1(Suppl 1):1–40

    Google Scholar 

  7. Pospiech J, Stolke D, Wilke HJ, Claes LE (1999) Intradiscal pressure recordings in the cervical spine. Neurosurgery 44(2):379–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Sato K, Kikichi S, Yonezawa T (1999) In vivo intradiscal pressure measurement in healthy individuals and in patients with ongoing back problems. Spine 24(23):2468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Steffen T, Baramki HG, Rubin R, Antoniou J, Aebi M (1998) Lumbar intradiscal pressure measured in the anterior and posterolateral annular regions during asymmetrical loading. Clin Biomech 13(7):495–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wilke HJ, Neef P, Caimi M, Hoogland T, Claes LE (1999) New in vivo measurements of pressures in the intervertebral disc in daily life. Spine 24(8):755–762

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Polga D, Beaubien B, Kallemeier P, Schellhas K, Lew W, Buttermann G, Wood K (2003) In vivo measurement of intradiscal pressure in healthy thoracic intervertebral discs. Spine J 3(5, Supplement 1):83–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cripton PA, Dumas GA, Nolte LP (2001) A minimally disruptive technique for measuring intervertebral disc pressure in vitro: application to the cervical spine. J Biomech 34(4):545–549

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Seo K-S, Derby R, Date ES, Lee S-H, Kim B-J, Lee C-H (2007) In vitro measurement of pressure differences using manometry at various injection speeds during discography. Spine J 7(1):68–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wang J-L, Kuo Y-W, Chang C-C, Yang B-D (2007) Interference in intradiscal pressure measurement using a needle-type pressure transducer. J Chin Inst Eng 30(1):149–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Dennison CR, Wild PM, Dvorak MF, Wilson DR, Cripton PA (2008) Validation of a novel minimally invasive intervertebral disc pressure sensor utilizing in-fiber Bragg gratings in a porcine model: an ex vivo study. Spine 33(17):E589–E594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Dennison CR, Wild PM, Byrnes PWG, Saari A, Itshayek E, Wilson DC, Zhu QA, Dvorak MFS, Cripton PA, Wilson DR (2008) Ex vivo measurement of lumbar intervertebral disc pressure using fibre-Bragg gratings. J Biomech 41(1):221–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Udd E (1991) Fiber optic sensors: an introduction for engineers and scientists Wiley series in pure and applied optics. Wiley Interscience, NY

    Google Scholar 

  18. Mastro SA (2000) The effect of transverse load on fiber bragg grating measurements. master’s thesis, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

  19. Nesson S, Yu M, Zhang X, Hsieh AH (2008) Miniature fiber optic pressure sensor with composite polymer-metal diaphragm for intradiscal pressure measurements. J Biomed Opt 13(4):044040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Santos M, Ferreira J, Simões J (2009) Position control of a servo-pneumatic system—Hybrid fuzzy P+I controller of a servo-pneumatic fatigue simulator. In: ICINCO—6th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, Milan, Italy, pp 234–239

  21. Santos M (2009) Controlo de um sistema servopneumático para ensaios de fadiga (Development of a distributed control platform for real-time operation of a servo-pneumatic fatigue test machine in order to perform tests involving the control of the force and position). MSc thesis, University of Aveiro, Aveiro

  22. Nogueira R, Abe I, Kalinowski HJ, Pinto JL, Rocha JRF (2002) Sistema interferométrico automatizado para gravação de redes de Bragg [Interferometric automtic system for FBG writing]. Paper presented at the 13ª Conferência Nacional de Física, Évora

  23. Johannessen W, Cloyd J, O’Connell G, Vresilovic E, Elliott D (2006) Trans-endplate nucleotomy increases deformation and creep response in axial loading. Ann Biomed Eng 34(4):687–696. doi:10.1007/s10439-005-9070-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Heuer F, Schmidt H, Wilke H-J (2008) The relation between intervertebral disc bulging and annular fiber associated strains for simple and complex loading. J Biomech 41(5):1086–1094

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Heuer F, Schmidt H, Claes L, Wilke H-J (2008) A new laser scanning technique for imaging intervertebral disc displacement and its application to modeling nucleotomy. Clin Biomech 23(3):260–269. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2007.10.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to António Ramos (PhD) for the design and manufacturing of the support used for specimen attachment and alignment.

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) fellowship SFRH/BD/45130/2008

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    P. Roriz & J. Simões

  2. Physics Department, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    I. Abe & M. Schiller

  3. Ohio Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Inc, 301 West Wallace Street, Findlay, OH, 45840, USA

    J. Gabriel

Authors
  1. P. Roriz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. Abe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Schiller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. Gabriel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J. Simões
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Roriz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roriz, P., Abe, I., Schiller, M. et al. Ex Vivo Intervertebral Disc Bulging Measurement Using a Fibre Bragg Grating Sensor. Exp Mech 51, 1573–1577 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-011-9470-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-011-9470-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation