Three-dimensional optical coherence micro-elastography of skeletal muscle tissue

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Musculoskeletal Research
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Skeletal muscle pathologies often involve altered mechanical properties of muscle tissue.
• Assessing these mechanical changes is crucial for understanding and diagnosing muscle diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate optical coherence micro-elastography (OCME) for skeletal muscle tissue analysis.
• To demonstrate OCME's capability in visualizing micro-scale mechanical variations in muscle.

Main Methods:

• Utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) combined with quasi-static mechanical compression.
• Applied OCME to analyze skeletal muscle tissue, including samples from mdx mice models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Main Results:

• OCME successfully resolved distinct muscle tissue features like fibers, fascicles, and tendons.
• The technique detected necrotic lesions in skeletal muscle from mdx mice.
• OCME provided enhanced or complementary contrast compared to standard OCT imaging.

Conclusions:

• OCME is a viable technique for micro-scale mechanical property mapping of skeletal muscle.
• This method offers potential for novel insights into muscle pathologies and diagnostic applications.
• OCME shows promise for the assessment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other muscle diseases.