Researcher(s)
- Darsh Patel, Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Jamie Benson, Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware
- Dawn Elliot, Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware
- Alvin Su, Orthopedics, Nemours Children's Hospital
Abstract
The meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilage tissue between the femur and tibia in the knee. Menisci play a critical role in transmitting axial forces while mitigating detrimental forces to protect the underlying cartilage and joint. However, meniscus injuries, especially tears, are widespread and lead to uneven force distribution throughout the knee. This leads to altered joint mechanics which can, over time, result in breakdown of articular (knee) cartilage and lead to osteoarthritis. Surgical intervention is used to fix tears, but does not always restore full function due to current inability to measure in-vivo meniscus mechanics post-recovery. Because repair relies on effective rehabilitation, there is a notable gap with lack of consensus on meniscus assessment, which is the long-term aim of this study. In the short-term, this pilot study analyzes meniscus displacement, a measure used for meniscal function, using an MRI-compatible in-vivo device that applies axial loads to the knee. The purpose of the pilot study is to measure participants with healthy menisci to establish a baseline under physiologic loading conditions. Following IRB approval, medial and lateral menisci of N=3 healthy adults and N=1 adult with history of a meniscus tear and repair were evaluated in vivo using T1 vibe and PD MRI sequences under low (10% body weight) and high axial loads (50% body weight). Preliminary findings suggest this device can replicate physiological loading with clear imaging of the meniscus and that there is measurable extrusion of the meniscus in both healthy and injured knees under high loads.