Assessing the Efficiency of Ultrasound Parameters in the Detection of Bone Repair Process

Introduction: The low regeneration of bone in defective bones causes therapeutic problems. Various strategies to assess the healing of bone defects have been used which they include histological and histo-chemical analysis in an invasive study. The purpose of this study was to determine the ultrasonic parameters of bone as a promising noninvasive technology for assessing bone repair process. Materials and Methods: A total of twenty seven Newsland male rabbits being 4 month old were selected and a hole of 3 mm in diameter was bored in the mid region of their right tibia bone. After causing the injury to the right tibia the ultrasonic parameters including amplitude dependent speed of sound (AD-SOS) and bone radial thickness were measured on the injured tibia and the normal one (left tibia) at different time intervals (1, 8 and 15 day group). The bone transmission time (BTT) and ultrasonic bone profile index (UBPI) were estimated by AD-SOS which is calculated based on fast wave amplitude, signal dynamic and thickness. The rabbits in each group were sacrificed and histology study was performed on the injured tibia. Results: The results obtained from the histological sections in 1, 8 and 15 day post-injury, show ongoing normal healing process in the 8 and 15 day group. The bone repair was characterized by bone trabecular formation and osteoblast cell activity. The mean AD-SOS parameter for the 1, 8, 15 day and normal bone was 2265, 2203, 2176 and 1990 m/s, respectively, suggesting a non-invasive measurement to assess bone repair process. The measured result was in agreement which the histological analysis (p-value Discussion and Conclusion: The findings suggest that AD-SOS parameter might be suitable to assess the architectural quality of bone trabecular and repair process.