Diagnosis of rotator cuff lesions by FT-Raman spectroscopy: a biochemical study

Abstract

The biochemical changes on normal and degenerated tissues of rotator cuff supraspinatus tendons were probed by FT-Raman spectroscopy. The Raman spectra showed differences on the spectral regions of cysteine, amino acids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. These spectral differences were assigned to pathological biochemical alterations due to the degenerative process of the tendon. Principal Components Analysis was performed on the spectral data and enabled the correct classification of the spectra as normal (grade 1) and degenerated (grades 2 and 3). These findings indicate that Raman spectroscopy could be a very promising tool for the rotator cuff supraspinatus tendon diagnosis and for quantification of their degenerative degree.