Osteoarthritis is expected to reach epidemic proportions worldwide. One of the keys to prevention is to diagnose cartliage degenerative processes early enough for disease modifying treatment. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel imaging technology that can image human articular cartilage at microscopic resolutions without damaging or removing the tissue. Preliminary data shows that loss of OCT detectable cartilage form birefringence was predictive of potentially reversible early metabolic changes that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. The PI has also successfully used a clinical fiberoptic OCT system to assess the microstructure and form birefringence of human articular cartilage in vivo. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that OCT can be used clinically to improve arthroscopic diagnosis of early articular cartilage degeneration. Three related specific aims are proposed: (1) To test the hypothesis that OCT enhances the sensitivity and specificity of conventional arthroscopic diagnosis of early cartilage degeneration in humans. (2) To test the hypothesis that OCT detectable microstructural damage is prevalent in grossly normal appearing weight bearing cartilage of human subjects undergoing arthroscopy to treat degenerative meniscal tears. (3) To test the hypothesis that OCT can be used clinically to predict the development of progressive cartilage degeneration as determined by serial MRI after acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Accomplishing the proposed aims will introduce valuable new data on the early changes in human osteoarthritis as discernible by novel imaging technology (OCT), 3.0 T MRI, and conventional arthroscopy. Preliminary data shows that OCT can identify human cartilage degeneration prior to the development of irreversible changes. As such, the proposal is highly innovative and significant in that achieving the aims can provide the diagnostic capability to potentially support a clinical paradigm shift towards treatment of cartilage degenerative processes years before what is currently possible. Potential advantages of earlier treatment include the possibility of delaying or even preventing the onset of disabling osteoarthritis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AR052784-05
Application #
7788815
Study Section
Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration Study Section (SBSR)
Program Officer
Lester, Gayle E
Project Start
2006-05-01
Project End
2011-06-30
Budget Start
2010-04-01
Budget End
2011-06-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$307,771
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Orthopedics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Williams, A A; Titchenal, M R; Andriacchi, T P et al. (2018) MRI UTE-T2* profile characteristics correlate to walking mechanics and patient reported outcomes 2 years after ACL reconstruction. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 26:569-579
Titchenal, Matthew R; Williams, Ashley A; Chehab, Eric F et al. (2018) Cartilage Subsurface Changes to Magnetic Resonance Imaging UTE-T2* 2 Years After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Correlate With Walking Mechanics Associated With Knee Osteoarthritis. Am J Sports Med 46:565-572
Chu, Constance R; Fortier, Lisa A; Williams, Ashley et al. (2018) Minimally Manipulated Bone Marrow Concentrate Compared with Microfracture Treatment of Full-Thickness Chondral Defects: A One-Year Study in an Equine Model. J Bone Joint Surg Am 100:138-146
Chu, Constance R; Sheth, Shikha; Erhart-Hledik, Jennifer C et al. (2018) Mechanically stimulated biomarkers signal cartilage changes over 5 years consistent with disease progression in medial knee osteoarthritis patients. J Orthop Res 36:891-897
Erhart-Hledik, Jennifer C; Chu, Constance R; Asay, Jessica L et al. (2018) Longitudinal changes in knee gait mechanics between 2 and 8 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. J Orthop Res 36:1478-1486
Erhart-Hledik, Jennifer C; Asay, Jessica L; Clancy, Caitlin et al. (2017) Effects of active feedback gait retraining to produce a medial weight transfer at the foot in subjects with symptomatic medial knee osteoarthritis. J Orthop Res 35:2251-2259
Williams, Ashley; Winalski, Carl S; Chu, Constance R (2017) Early articular cartilage MRI T2 changes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction correlate with later changes in T2 and cartilage thickness. J Orthop Res 35:699-706
Titchenal, Matthew R; Chu, Constance R; Erhart-Hledik, Jennifer C et al. (2017) Early Changes in Knee Center of Rotation During Walking After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Correlate With Later Changes in Patient-Reported Outcomes. Am J Sports Med 45:915-921
Erhart-Hledik, Jennifer C; Chu, Constance R; Asay, Jessica L et al. (2017) Gait mechanics 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are associated with longer-term changes in patient-reported outcomes. J Orthop Res 35:634-640
Chu, Constance R (2016) Defining Pre-Osteoarthritis Is Key to Prevention. Cartilage 7:204

Showing the most recent 10 out of 35 publications