Vertebrae Transmission Probe Testing - Preliminary Bone Measurements

We are developing a new transmission-based probe for assessing vertebrae strength via the differences between the dielectric properties of normal and osteoporotic bone. The probes are simple open-ended coaxial cables that will fit easily into the pedicle canals drilled by the surgeons before implanting screws to secure the supporting instrumentation. If the screws pull because of bone weakness, it can inflict a wide range of complications. In the progression towards actual clinical trials, we have already validated the approach on different liquids with varying dielectric properties. In this study, we assess actual animal bone samples as a precursor to human investigations. We exploit the fact that the trabecular bone is considerably different on opposite sides of the growth plate of long bones such as the femur - somewhat mimicking differences between normal and osteoporotic bone. For these experiments, we show that the properties of the distal and proximal sections are considerably different and present opportunities to exploit them in a diagnostic setting.