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. 2011 Apr;39(4):1306-12.
doi: 10.1007/s10439-010-0209-x. Epub 2010 Nov 24.

An arthroscopic device to assess articular cartilage defects and treatment with a hydrogel

William J McCarty  1 , Anna Luan, Priya Sundaramurthy, Caryn Urbanczyk, Atal Patel, Jacob Hahr, Mohammad Sotoudeh, Anthony Ratcliffe, Robert L Sah
Affiliations

An arthroscopic device to assess articular cartilage defects and treatment with a hydrogel

William J McCarty et al. Ann Biomed Eng. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

The hydraulic resistance R across osteochondral tissue, especially articular cartilage, decreases with degeneration and erosion. Clinically useful measures to quantify and diagnose the extent of cartilage degeneration and efficacy of repair strategies, especially with regard to pressure maintenance, are still developing. The hypothesis of this study was that hydraulic resistance provides a quantitative measure of osteochondral tissue that could be used to evaluate the state of cartilage damage and repair. The aims were to (1) develop a device to measure R in an arthroscopic setting, (2) determine whether the device could detect differences in R for cartilage, an osteochondral defect, and cartilage treated using a hydrogel ex vivo, and (3) determine how quickly such differences could be discerned. The apparent hydraulic resistance of defect samples was ~35% less than intact cartilage controls, while the resistance of hydrogel-filled groups was not statistically different than controls, suggesting some restoration of fluid pressurization in the defect region by the hydrogel. Differences in hydraulic resistance between control and defect groups were apparent after 4 s. The results indicate that the measurement of R is feasible for rapid and quantitative functional assessment of the extent of osteochondral defects and repair. The arthroscopic compatibility of the device demonstrates the potential for this measurement to be made in a clinical setting.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the arthroscopic probe device in an isometric view from the top and bottom
Figure 2
Figure 2
The experimental setup was modeled as a parallel RC lumped parameter circuit with hydraulic resistance R, the total system compliance C, flow rate Q, and pressure P
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pressure vs. time curves for intact cartilage, osteochondral defects, and defects filled with hydrogel, n = 10. Triangle and square markers indicate the 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 s time points that were analyzed. * p < 0.05 difference between groups above and below the asterisk
Figure 4
Figure 4
Best-fit values of resistance R at a compliance C of 26.4 mm3 kPa−1 for intact cartilage, osteochondral defects, and defects filled with hydrogel, n = 10. ** p < 0.001, *** p < 0.0001
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