2018 Volume Annual56 Issue Abstract Pages S23
A normal bone-tendon insertion at the rotator cuff of the shoulder has a hierarchical structure consisting of four layers: tendon, fibrocartilage, mineralized cartilage, and bone. However, this structure is missing in a repaired insertion after reconstructive surgery. The alternation in bone-tendon insertion after the surgery is considered to cause the reduction of mechanical strength in the repaired insertion; however, the difference in material constitution between intact and repaired insertion is not fully understood. Therefore, in this study, we applied the Raman spectroscopic measurement to compare the distribution of chemical composition of bone-tendon insertion with and without the reconstructive surgery. We obtained Raman spectra along a traverse across the supraspinatus tendon-to-humerus insertion of a rat rotator cuff repair model and analyzed mineral content and collagen quality. Changes in bone mineral density and mechanical properties after the surgery were also examined to interpret the Raman spectra.
