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Updated: Jun 14, 2025
A Probing Device for Quantitatively Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues during Arthroscopy
Published on: May 1, 2020
The mechanical properties measurement could be affected by forceps: a technical note on sampling human annulus
Tianchi Zhou1,2, Bowei Xiao1,2, Juying Huang3,2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 119 South 4th Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China.
Purpose:
To compare the mechanical properties of human annulus fibrosus obtained by forceps versus bistoury and observe whether the measurement could be affected by forceps sampling method.
Methods:
In this study, the mechanical properties of the the extracellular matrix (ECM) of human annulus fibrosus, including elastic modulus and stiffness, were investigated using atomic force microscope (AFM). Tissue was obtained from patients during operation using a bistoury or nucleus pulposus forceps. Tissues obtained with the nucleus pulposus forceps were considered as the forceps group and those obtained with a bistoury were considered as the bistoury group.
Results:
There was no significant difference observed between the forceps and bistoury group according to histological staining. The elastic modulus of the forceps group was 0.41 ± 0.08 MPa, and that of bistoury group was 0.53 ± 0.13 MPa, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The stiffness of the forceps group was 0.024 ± 0.003 N/m, and that of the bistoury group was 0.037 ± 0.003 N/m, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
The results indicate that the forceps sampling method has a substantial negative effect on the micromechanical properties of the ECM of the annulus fibrosus. Bistoury sampling method is recommended as the experimental subject for exploring the micromechanics mechanisms of cervical degenerative disease.
