Week 3: MRI and Biomechanics

This week we performed additional MRI research scans and I had the opportunity to watch a few orthopedic surgeries. On Wednesday we performed a scan of an intact pig knee using UTE techniques. Afterwards the knee was dissected to expose the patellar tendon. Holes were drilled into the patella and tibia to the insertion of pins and attachment to a device allowing for controlled displacement of the tendon. On Thursday we performed UTE scans the tendon in this device, stretching the tendon to either low or high displacement and allowing for some stress relaxation before imaging. This device was uniquely designed to be MRI compatible, utilizing materials strong enough to withstand the loads on the tendon but with metals resulting in the lowest artifact. One challenging aspect of this scan was the lack of tissue in the sample, requiring us to surround it with a proton-rich liquid to allow for increased signal. Overall, the goal of this experiment was to determine how load/displacement affects T2* signals in tendon.

On Friday I had my first opportunity to watch surgeries at HSS. I shadowed Dr. Scott Rodeo during a total shoulder replacement and other soft tissue repair procedures in the shoulder. While I was familiar with the overall goals for each procedure, it was interesting to see the individual steps and improvisations that occur during surgery. In the next few weeks I hope to see some knee procedures, as this is the area of the body that I study the most.

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