Insight Centre for Data Analytics, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2024 Nov 6;19(11):e0310123. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310123. eCollection 2024.
Non-invasive assessment of joint status using acoustic emissions (AE) is a growing research area that has the potential to translate into clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation of the knee's AE with measures of proprioception, self-assessment, and performance, as it can be hypothesised that, AE parameters will correlate with joint function metrics due to AE being recorded during interaction of the articular surfaces. Threshold to detect passive motion (TTDPM), Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) and 5 times sit-to-stand test (5STS) were collected from 51 participant. Knee AE were recorded during cycling with 30 and 60 rpm cadences using two sensors in different frequency ranges and three modes of AE event detection. Weak (0.297, p = 0.048) to moderate (0.475, p = 0.001) Spearman's correlations were observed between longer 5STS time and AE parameters (i.e. higher median absolute energy, signal strength, longer AE event rise time and duration). Similarly, AE parameters shown correlation with lower KOOS, especially in the "Function in Sports and Recreation" and "Activities of Daily Living" subscales with correlation coefficients for higher median amplitude up to 0.441, p = 0.001 and 0.403, p = 0.004, respectively. The correlation with the TTDPM was not detected for most of the AE parameters. Additionally, a lower frequency sensor and 60 rpm cadence AE recordings showed higher correlations. Considering that this study included subjects from the general population and the number of participants with KOOS <70 was relatively small, higher correlations might be expected for clinically confirmed OA cases. Additionally, different ICCs might be expected for alternative signal parameters and proprioception assessment methods. Overall, the study confirms that AE monitoring offers an additional modality of joint assessment that reflects interaction between cartilage surfaces and can complement orthopaedic diagnostics, especially in the context of remote monitoring, drug testing, and rehabilitation.
使用声发射（AE）对关节状态进行非侵入性评估是一个不断发展的研究领域，有可能转化为临床实践。本研究旨在探讨膝关节 AE 与本体感觉、自我评估和表现的相关性，因为可以假设由于 AE 是在关节表面相互作用过程中记录的，因此 AE 参数将与关节功能指标相关。从 51 名参与者中收集了被动运动阈（TTDPM）、膝关节骨关节炎结局评分（KOOS）和 5 次坐站测试（5STS）。使用两个在不同频率范围内的传感器和三种 AE 事件检测模式，在 30 和 60 rpm 转速下记录膝关节 AE。更长的 5STS 时间与 AE 参数（即更高的中位绝对能量、信号强度、更长的 AE 事件上升时间和持续时间）之间观察到弱（0.297，p = 0.048）到中度（0.475，p = 0.001）Spearman 相关性。同样，AE 参数与较低的 KOOS 相关，特别是在“运动和娱乐活动中的功能”和“日常生活活动”子量表中，更高的中位幅度相关系数高达 0.441，p = 0.001 和 0.403，p = 0.004。对于大多数 AE 参数，未检测到与 TTDPM 的相关性。此外，低频传感器和 60 rpm 转速的 AE 记录显示出更高的相关性。考虑到本研究包括来自普通人群的受试者，并且 KOOS<70 的受试者数量相对较少，对于临床确诊的 OA 病例，可能会预期更高的相关性。此外，对于替代信号参数和本体感觉评估方法，可能会预期不同的 ICC。总体而言，该研究证实 AE 监测提供了一种额外的关节评估方式，反映了软骨表面之间的相互作用，并可以补充矫形诊断，特别是在远程监测、药物测试和康复的背景下。
