title: First assessment of three-dimensional quantitative photoacoustic tomography for in vivo detection of osteoarthritis in the finger joints.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this pilot clinical study is to assess three-dimensional (3-D) quantitative photoacoustic tomography (qPAT) for in vivo detection of osteoarthritis (OA) in the finger joints.
  
  
  METHODS
  All subject data were handled in compliance with the rules and regulations concerning the privacy and security of protected health information under HIPAA. Seven female subjects (two OA patients and five healthy controls) entered the study and their distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints were examined by a 3-D photoacoustic scanner. 3-D optical absorption coefficient images of all the photoacoustically examined joints were recovered using a 3-D qPAT reconstruction algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recovered quantitative photoacoustic images revealed obvious difference in the optical absorption coefficient of the joint cavity (cartilage and synovial fluid) between the OA and healthy joints. Quantitative analysis of the joints also indicated an apparent difference in the recovered joint spacing between the OA and healthy subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This initial clinical evaluation suggests that it is feasible to detect osteoarthritis in the finger joints with our 3-D qPAT approach, which has paved the way to further statistically evaluate the diagnostic performance of the 3-D qPAT approach in comparison with radiography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a sample of hand osteoarthritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Eric S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Sobel
authors.forename: Huabei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000379:methods*