Noninvasive sensing of bone quality using piezoelectricity of bone

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19912
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 90:Biomedical engineering and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Ikushima Kenji 東京農工大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (20334302)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 医工学 / 超音波 / 音響誘起電磁法 / 圧電効果 / コラーゲン / 骨粗鬆症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to realize a “bone quality” sensing method to evaluate the crystallinity (orientation) of bone collagen noninvasively using the Acoustically Assisted Electromagnetic Method (ASEM). The ASEM method detects the electrical polarization (piezoelectric polarization) induced by ultrasound waves (sound pressure) through the piezoelectricity of the object, and visualizes the spatial distribution of the polarization by ultrasonic scanning. In this study, (1) two different rat disease models, knee immobilization and diabetes mellitus, were created, and a tendency for piezoelectric polarization to decrease with osteoporosis was found, and (2) a tendency for polarization in the direction of fiber orientation was revealed. Furthermore, the introduction of pulse compression technology and ultrasonic array probes has opened up the prospect of in-vivo high-speed imaging.

Free Research Field

応用物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

超音波画像診断装置は、外来診察室や在宅におけるベッドサイドで迅速な検査が可能であることから医療の質と患者のQOLに資するものとして需要が増えています。『視診』と『エコー検査による内部形状観察』に加え、ASEM法による病理組織学的評価に近い『第三の目』が導入されれば、開業医は精確な診断が可能となり、より迅速な治療方針が立てられます。本研究成果により、簡便、迅速に骨コラーゲンの“質”を評価できることが示され、今後、骨折治癒判断や骨粗鬆症診断などへの利用が見込まれます。