Remote Analysis of Femoroacetabular Impingement by a triade of label-free optical spectroscopy techniques

TL;DR

This study combines three label-free optical spectroscopy techniques to noninvasively analyze tissues affected by Femoroacetabular Impingement, revealing a biochemical pathway underlying the condition.

Contribution

It introduces a novel combination of LIBS, RS, and DRS for biomedical tissue analysis, providing comprehensive insights without sample harm.

Findings

Biochemical pathway model of FAI developed

Noninvasive optical methods effectively analyze tissue composition

Potential for broad medical applications and pathway exploration

Abstract

This paper introduces the combination of Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman spectroscopy (RS) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) in the field of biomedical research. Thereby, the results from RS and LIBS are combined with previous DRS results. These noninvasive optical methods, used together, offer thorough analysis of the absorptive and scattering behaviour, elemental composition, and molecular bindings of tissue, without resulting in considerable harm or changes to the sample or the requirement of markers. The study centres on applying this triad of techniques to tissues affected by Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI), a condition characterised by reduced hip mobility due to developmental deformities of the hip joint. The research results in a biochemical pathway model of the condition causing the red staining caused by FAI which origin was unknown until now. This proves that this approach may have significant implications for numerous medical applications and support in exploring complex chemical and biochemical pathways.