Dual-Contrast Agent with Nanoparticle and Molecular Components in Photon-Counting Computed Tomography: Assessing Articular Cartilage Health
Paakkari, Petri; Inkinen, Satu I; Jäntti, Jiri; Tuppurainen, Juuso; Fugazzola, Maria C; Joenathan, Anisha; Ylisiurua, Sampo; Nieminen, Miika T; Kröger, Heikki; Mikkonen, Santtu; van Weeren, René; Snyder, Brian D; Töyräs, Juha; Honkanen, Miitu K M; Matikka, Hanna; Grinstaff, Mark W; Honkanen, Juuso T J; Mäkelä, Janne T A (2025-03-28)
Springer
28.03.2025
Paakkari, P., Inkinen, S.I., Jäntti, J. et al. Dual-Contrast Agent with Nanoparticle and Molecular Components in Photon-Counting Computed Tomography: Assessing Articular Cartilage Health. Ann Biomed Eng 53, 1423–1438 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-025-03715-0
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202504012306
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202504012306
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Purpose:
Photon-counting detectors (PCDs) are cutting-edge technology that enable spectral computed tomography (CT) imaging with a single scan. Spectral imaging is particularly effective in contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) imaging, especially when multiple contrast agents are utilized, as materials are distinguishable based on their unique X-ray absorption. One application of CECT is joint imaging, where it assesses the structure and composition of articular cartilage soft tissue. This evaluates articular cartilage and reveals compositional changes associated with early-stage osteoarthritis (OA) using a photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) technique combined with a dual-contrast agent method.
Methods:
A dual-contrast agent combination was used, consisting of proteoglycan-binding cationic tantalum oxide nanoparticles, developed in our lab, and a commercial non-ionic iodinated iodixanol agent. Ex vivo equine stifle joint cartilage samples (N = 30) were immersed in the contrast agent bath for 96 hours and imaged at multiple timepoints for analysis of proteoglycan, collagen, and water contents as well as collagen orientation, histological scoring, and biomechanical parameters.
Results:
By analyzing contrast agent concentrations, the technique provided a simultaneous assessment of the solid constituents and function of cartilage. Contrast agent diffusion depended on contrast agent composition and was significantly different between healthy and early-stage OA groups within 12 hours.
Conclusion:
The present study shows the promising utility of the dual-contrast PCD-CT technique for articular cartilage assessment and early-stage OA detection.
Purpose:
Photon-counting detectors (PCDs) are cutting-edge technology that enable spectral computed tomography (CT) imaging with a single scan. Spectral imaging is particularly effective in contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) imaging, especially when multiple contrast agents are utilized, as materials are distinguishable based on their unique X-ray absorption. One application of CECT is joint imaging, where it assesses the structure and composition of articular cartilage soft tissue. This evaluates articular cartilage and reveals compositional changes associated with early-stage osteoarthritis (OA) using a photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) technique combined with a dual-contrast agent method.
Methods:
A dual-contrast agent combination was used, consisting of proteoglycan-binding cationic tantalum oxide nanoparticles, developed in our lab, and a commercial non-ionic iodinated iodixanol agent. Ex vivo equine stifle joint cartilage samples (N = 30) were immersed in the contrast agent bath for 96 hours and imaged at multiple timepoints for analysis of proteoglycan, collagen, and water contents as well as collagen orientation, histological scoring, and biomechanical parameters.
Results:
By analyzing contrast agent concentrations, the technique provided a simultaneous assessment of the solid constituents and function of cartilage. Contrast agent diffusion depended on contrast agent composition and was significantly different between healthy and early-stage OA groups within 12 hours.
Conclusion:
The present study shows the promising utility of the dual-contrast PCD-CT technique for articular cartilage assessment and early-stage OA detection.
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