Remote Analysis of Femoroacetabular Impingement by a triade of label-free optical spectroscopy techniques

This paper introduces the combination of Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman spectroscopy (RS) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) in the field of biomedical research. Thereby, the results from RS and LIBS are combined with previous DRS results. These noninvasive optical methods, used together, offer thorough analysis of the absorptive and scattering behaviour, elemental composition, and molecular bindings of tissue, without resulting in considerable harm or changes to the sample or the requirement of markers. The study centres on applying this triad of techniques to tissues affected by Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI), a condition characterised by reduced hip mobility due to developmental deformities of the hip joint. The research results in a biochemical pathway model of the condition causing the red staining caused by FAI which origin was unknown until now. This proves that this approach may have significant implications for numerous medical applications and support in exploring complex chemical and biochemical pathways.