Journal article
Spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging of cervical tissue composition in excised human samples
PloS one, Vol.16(3), pp.e0247385-e0247385
03/03/2021
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247385
PMCID: PMC7928441
PMID: 33657136
Abstract
Objective
Cervical remodeling is an important component in determining the pathway of parturition; therefore, assessing changes in cervical tissue composition may provide information about the cervix's status beyond the measurement of cervical length. Photoacoustic imaging is a non-invasive ultrasound-based technology that captures acoustic signals emitted by tissue components in response to laser pulses. This optical information allows for the determination of the collagen-to-water ratio (CWR). The purpose of this study was to compare the CWR evaluated by using spectroscopic photoacoustic (sPA) imaging in cervical samples obtained from pregnant and non-pregnant women.
Methods
This cross-sectional study comprised cervical biopsies obtained at the time of hysterectomy (n = 8) and at the scheduled cesarean delivery in pregnant women at term who were not in labor (n = 8). The cervical CWR was analyzed using a fiber-optic light-delivery system integrated to an ultrasound probe. The photoacoustic signals were acquired within the range of wavelengths that cover the peak absorption of collagen and water. Differences in the CWR between cervical samples from pregnant and non-pregnant women were analyzed. Hematoxylin and eosin and Sirius Red stains were used to compare the collagen content of cervical samples in these two groups.
Results
Eight cervix samples were obtained after hysterectomy, four from women <= 41 years of age and four from women >= 43 years of age; all cervical samples (n = 8) from pregnant women were obtained after 37 weeks of gestation at the time of cesarean section. The average CWR in cervical tissue samples from pregnant women was 18.7% (SD 7.5%), while in samples from non-pregnant women, it was 55.0% (SD 20.3%). There was a significantly higher CWR in the non-pregnant group compared to the pregnant group with a p-value <0.001. A subgroup analysis that compared the CWR in cervical samples from pregnant women and non-pregnant women <= 41 years of age (mean 46.3%, SD 23.1%) also showed a significantly higher CWR (p <0.01). Lower collagen content in the pregnancy group was confirmed by histological analysis, which revealed the loss of tissue composition, increased water content, and collagen degradation.
Conclusion
The proposed bimodal ultrasound and sPA imaging system can provide information on the biochemical composition of cervical tissue in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Photoacoustic imaging showed a higher collagen content in cervical samples from non-pregnant women as compared to those from pregnant women, which matched with the histological analysis. This novel imaging method envisions a new potential for a sensitive diagnostic tool in the evaluation of cervical tissue composition.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging of cervical tissue composition in excised human samples
- Creators
- Yan Yan - Wayne State UniversityMaryam Basij - Wayne State UniversityAlpana Garg - Wayne State UniversityAneesha Varrey - National Institutes of HealthAli Alhousseini - Wayne State UniversityRichard Hsu - National Institutes of HealthEdgar Hernandez-Andrade - The University of Texas Health Science CenterRoberto Romero - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentSonia S. Hassan - Wayne State UniversityMohammad Mehrmohammadi - Wayne State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.16(3), pp.e0247385-e0247385
- Publisher
- Public Library Science
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0247385
- PMID
- 33657136
- PMCID
- PMC7928441
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- eISSN
- 1932-6203
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- HHSN275201300006C / Federal funds from NICHD/NIH/DHHS 1R01EB030058 / National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB/NIH); United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering (NIBIB) Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/03/2021
- Academic Unit
- General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984359693802771
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