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Functional Assessment of Human Articular Cartilage Using Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) Imaging: A Feasibility Study

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Abstract

Many arthroscopic tools developed for knee joint assessment are contact-based, which is challenging for in vivo application in narrow joint spaces. Second harmonic generation (SHG) laser imaging is a non-invasive and non-contact method, thus presenting an attractive alternative. However, the association between SHG-based measures and cartilage quality has not been established systematically. Here, we investigated the feasibility of using image-based measures derived from SHG microscopy for objective evaluation of cartilage quality as assessed by mechanical testing. Human tibial plateaus harvested from nine patients were used. Cartilage mechanical properties were determined using indentation stiffness (Einst) and streaming potential-based quantitative parameters (QP). The correspondence of the cartilage electromechanical properties (Einst and QP) and the image-based measures derived from SHG imaging, tissue thickness and cell viability were evaluated using correlation and logistic regression analyses. The SHG-related parameters included the newly developed volumetric fraction of organised collagenous network (Φcol) and the coefficient of variation of the SHG intensity (CVSHG). We found that Φcol correlated strongly with Einst and QP (ρ = 0.97 and − 0.89, respectively). CVSHG also correlated, albeit weakly, with QP and Einst, (|ρ| = 0.52–0.58). Einst and Φcol were the most sensitive predictors of cartilage quality whereas CVSHG only showed moderate sensitivity. Cell viability and tissue thickness, often used as measures of cartilage health, predicted the cartilage quality poorly. We present a simple, objective, yet effective image-based approach for assessment of cartilage quality. Φcol correlated strongly with electromechanical properties of cartilage and could fuel the continuous development of SHG-based arthroscopy.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to Ms. Christiana Choi who helped in tissue procurement from arthroplasty procedure, the PLC, Surgical Suite, and Mr. Azim Jinha who provided technical support during data analysis.

Funding

This study was supported by the Joint Transplantation Program at the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Heath, University of Calgary, the Calgary Health Trust, the Carleton University internal start-up research fund (186725), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery grant (funding reference no: DGECR-2023-00346), The Killam Foundation, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Nigg Chair for Mobility and Longevity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Ziad Abusara, Eng Kuan Moo, Ifaz Haider, Claire Timmermann & Walter Herzog

  2. McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Ziad Abusara, Ifaz Haider, Sue Miller, Scott Timmermann & Walter Herzog

  3. Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Sue Miller & Scott Timmermann

  4. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Design, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

    Eng Kuan Moo

  5. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Sue Miller

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  1. Ziad Abusara
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(1) The conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of the data: ZA, EKM, IH, CT, SM, ST and WH. (2) Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content: ZA, EKM, IH, CT, SM, ST and WH. (3) Final approval of the version to be submitted: ZA, EKM, IH, CT, SM, ST and WH.

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Abusara, Z., Moo, E.K., Haider, I. et al. Functional Assessment of Human Articular Cartilage Using Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) Imaging: A Feasibility Study. Ann Biomed Eng 52, 1009–1020 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-023-03437-1

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