Gikas, P; (2013) A Study of the Subchondral Bone in Human Knee Osteoarthritis using Raman Spectroscopy. Doctoral thesis (PhD), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, debilitating disease, involving degeneration of cartilage and bone in synovial joints. Subtle changes in the molecular structure of subchondral bone matrix occur and may precede gross morphological changes in the osteoarthritic joint. In this thesis, the analytical technique Raman Spectroscopy (which uses a monochromatic light source to probe chemical composition) is used to explore the hypothesis that subchondral bone changes occur prior to and during joint degeneration. The question is approached by looking at excised tibial plateaus from patients undergoing total knee replacement for advanced OA of the knee and comparing them with tibial plateaus from healthy joints. The samples were analysed with Raman spectroscopy, peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and chemical analysis, to compare collagen alpha chains. The results show that bone matrix changes, related to OA, can be detected in the subchondral bone prior to overt cartilage damage, by Raman spectroscopy. These data provide support that chemical changes in bone can be related to the initiation of, or predisposition towards, joint degeneration. The results demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy should be further developed as a future tool to provide screening for early detection of joint degeneration based on correlating molecular-specific modifications in the subchondral bone.

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