Correlation of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography with early osteoarthritis and collagen disorganization

Summary form only given. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of disability and morbidity. However, conventional imaging methods lack the resolution or are impractical for assessing early OA. Recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has demonstrated a feasibility for assessing articular cartilage. In vitro studies have demonstrated that OCT can determine cartilage width at a resolution of 20 /spl mu/m in addition to the identification of fibrillations, fibrosis, and breakdown of the subcondral plate. It was also noted that the normal cartilage was polarization sensitive. In the study, two theories are tested. The first hypothesis is that the origin of polarization sensitivity in normal cartilage is organized collagen. The second hypothesis is that the loss of polarization sensitivity, and therefore collagen disorganization, is a sign of osteoarthritis that precedes cartilage thinning.