Acoustic Emission: Can This Technology Be Used to Diagnose Arthritis?

Knees damaged by arthritis emit high frequency sound wave patterns which are different from normal knee movement, researchers believe. At the University of Central Lancashire, a research team is working to develop a hand-held device based on acoustic emission to detect these differences and help primary care physicians diagnose arthritis. Theoretically the acoustic emission hand-held device would help monitor the effectiveness of arthritis treatments as well.

The research team reportedly will try to compare results from abnormal arthritic knees to see if there is a correlation with cartilage damage seen on MRI. According to the Arthritis Research Campaign "acoustic emission has been used extensively in the engineering industry to detect unsafe buildings and bridges." The hope is that acoustic emission can be used to assess knee damage in the clinical setting.

• Arthritis Screening Quiz
• Osteoarthritis Screening Quiz
• Rheumatoid Arthritis Screening Quiz

_{Image © ADAM}