APPARATUS TO DETERMINE THE MACROSCOPIC AND MICROSCOPIC BIAXIAL SWELLING RESPONSE OF THE ANNULUS FIBROSUS

摘要

The biaxial loading apparatus is a unique device that enables an annular test specimen to be loaded in a manner similar to its in vivo state. Markers placed on the tissue surface in conjunction with (he image capture and image-processing peripherals allow the user to precisely control the tissue strain. The addition of the laser line sectioning technique enables a detailed profile of the tissue surface to be generated to determine tissue thickness, and thus the tissue stress, Mounted on an inverted confocal microscope, the biaxial loading apparatus system enables not only the investigation of the biaxial swelling behaviour of the annulus fibrosus at the tissue level, but also the simultaneous microscopic response of the cells in situ. Ultimately, this apparatus will enable investigations of structure-function relationships in both normal and pathologic discs.