3D quantification of human knee articular cartilage and meniscus microstructures in osteoarthritis
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Place of the thesis defence
Oulu University Hospital, Auditorium A101 (Aapistie 7 A)
Topic of the dissertation
3D quantification of human knee articular cartilage and meniscus microstructures in osteoarthritis
Doctoral candidate
Master of Health Sciences (M.H.Sc.) Iida Hellberg
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Medicine, Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology
Subject of study
Medical physics and technology
Opponent
Professor Harrie Weinans, Delft University of Technology and Utrecht University
Custos
Professor Simo Saarakkala, University of Oulu
Micro-computed tomography enables histological analysis of joint soft tissues in 3D
This doctoral dissertation presents a novel, high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging technique for knee joint soft tissues. The proposed technique was shown to enable the 3D visualization and analysis of articular cartilage and meniscus microstructures with the same level of detail as conventional 2D histology.
Osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder that leads to disability. The most important risk factors for osteoarthritis are age and obesity. The burden of this disorder is heavy, and it is even increasing in the future as people live longer and the obesity rate is rising, especially in the Western countries. However, not much is known about the very early events of osteoarthritis on the microstructural level, especially regarding the soft tissues of the joint. Being able to image and analyze them volumetrically might help us to understand osteoarthritis and its early events better. This would eventually lead to the development of novel disease-modifying therapies for the disorder.
The primary aim of this dissertation was to develop a contrast-enhanced micro-CT technique that enables the 3D visualization of knee joint soft tissues. The developed technique was tested by microstructural analysis of articular cartilage and meniscus samples from osteoarthritic patients and osteoarthritis-free tissue donors. Conventional 2D histology was used as a reference methodology.
The results showed that with the developed micro-CT technique, 3D images are revealing the same level of detail as 2D histology. The new technique also enabled microstructural analysis of articular cartilage and meniscus in 3D. In articular cartilage, the cells were found to be larger and more elongated in osteoarthritic samples compared to healthy samples. In meniscus, osteoarthritic tissue was shown to be more disorganized compared to healthy tissue. On top of that, two patterns of degeneration in the meniscus were observed: one with very small calcifications and another with large to widespread calcifications.
In conclusion, the contrast-enhanced micro-CT technique presented in this dissertation provides a novel, high-resolution tool for volumetric visualization and analysis of knee joint soft tissue microstructures in 3D. In addition to articular cartilage and meniscus that were studied in this thesis, the proposed technique could also be useful for the analysis of other soft tissues of joints and their changes in osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder that leads to disability. The most important risk factors for osteoarthritis are age and obesity. The burden of this disorder is heavy, and it is even increasing in the future as people live longer and the obesity rate is rising, especially in the Western countries. However, not much is known about the very early events of osteoarthritis on the microstructural level, especially regarding the soft tissues of the joint. Being able to image and analyze them volumetrically might help us to understand osteoarthritis and its early events better. This would eventually lead to the development of novel disease-modifying therapies for the disorder.
The primary aim of this dissertation was to develop a contrast-enhanced micro-CT technique that enables the 3D visualization of knee joint soft tissues. The developed technique was tested by microstructural analysis of articular cartilage and meniscus samples from osteoarthritic patients and osteoarthritis-free tissue donors. Conventional 2D histology was used as a reference methodology.
The results showed that with the developed micro-CT technique, 3D images are revealing the same level of detail as 2D histology. The new technique also enabled microstructural analysis of articular cartilage and meniscus in 3D. In articular cartilage, the cells were found to be larger and more elongated in osteoarthritic samples compared to healthy samples. In meniscus, osteoarthritic tissue was shown to be more disorganized compared to healthy tissue. On top of that, two patterns of degeneration in the meniscus were observed: one with very small calcifications and another with large to widespread calcifications.
In conclusion, the contrast-enhanced micro-CT technique presented in this dissertation provides a novel, high-resolution tool for volumetric visualization and analysis of knee joint soft tissue microstructures in 3D. In addition to articular cartilage and meniscus that were studied in this thesis, the proposed technique could also be useful for the analysis of other soft tissues of joints and their changes in osteoarthritis.
Last updated: 23.1.2024