Ultraviolet-Visible-Near Infrared Spectroscopy May Aid in the Qualitative Assessment of Early-Stage Cartilage Degradation.

Purpose: To assess the potential of ultraviolet-visible near-infrared spectroscopy to provide quantitative information on the cartilage surface at early osteoarthritis. Methods: We used a similar source and optical path to a standard arthroscope and constraining input to the range available to a standard detector/camera, further capturing and analyzing spectral information quantitatively in terms of specific electronic absorbance bands and scattering from the cartilage surface, with a focus on the early stages of degradation. Results: The ratio of the 320-nm and longer than 500-nm absorbances produced a distinct change from the normal to diseased states. The slopes between the wavelengths of 600 and 980 nm may show the transition of the single fibril to fibril bundles that occurs during early stages disease. Conclusions: Ultraviolet-visible near-infrared spectroscopy has good potential for use in integrated arthroscopic assessment. Clinical Relevance: This raises the possibility of advancing arthroscopy from a qualitative to a quantitative tool, without requiring modification of either the radiation (the light source and path) or instrumentation (the arthroscope itself) delivered to the patient, thus allowing a low-cost yet potentially high-value technology.