Photoacoustic studies of a bone-to-tendon transition

Abstract The bone-tendon transition is highly prone to failure due to mechanical mismatch and stress concentration. Its load-bearing capacity varies markedly with age due to differences in tissue maturation, collagen organization, and mineralization, while conventional imaging cannot resolve its subtle compositional gradients. This study investigated the bone-to-tendon sample extracted from SD rats transition using the photoacoustic (PA) technique to clarify the relationship among PA amplitude, tissue mineral density, and acoustic wave velocity. The results showed a good relationship among them, suggesting that the amplitude of the PA wave is strongly influenced by the mineral density, velocity, and stiffness of the sample.