Fiber Bragg grating sensor for monitoring bone decalcification

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Bone decalcification assessment is crucial for bone health evaluation.
• Existing methods like DEXA, QCT, and QUS have limitations including radiation exposure and inaccuracies.
• Fiber optic sensing offers a promising, non-ionizing alternative for medical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of decalcification on the strain response of bone using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensing.
• To establish a quantitative relationship between calcium loss and bone mechanical properties.
• To explore FBG as a novel tool for in vitro bone health assessment.

Main Methods:

• In vitro study using goat tibia samples.
• Employing three-point bending to apply stress to the bone.
• Utilizing Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors to record wavelength shifts corresponding to strain.
• Comparing strain response between decalcified and untreated bone samples.

Main Results:

• Strain response increased proportionally with the degree of decalcification.
• A significant increase in strain was observed after a loss of 2g of calcium, indicating damage onset.
• FBG sensing demonstrated sensitivity to calcium loss in bone.

Conclusions:

• The strain response measured by FBG directly correlates with the degree of calcium present in bone.
• FBG sensing provides a sensitive method for detecting decalcification and potential bone damage.
• This technique offers a non-ionizing and potentially more accurate approach to bone health assessment.