Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis designed an imaging technique to treat and prevent ulnar collateral ligament tears among baseball pitchers, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The technique, which was inspired by mantis shrimp eyes, allows a more detailed look at the ligaments used in Tommy John surgery — the procedure used to treat UCL. The surgery's recovery time is typically 12 to 18 months.
Physicians can now see how the ligament reacts to different stresses and damage over time through the technique. Featuring a white LED light and a video camera, the technique mimics a trick from the eyes of the mantis shrimp, which can sense differences in polarized light.
During the technique, researchers apply continual stress to a cadaver's ligament by simulating different pitches. Polarized light is then shown on the ligament and bounced off the collagen fibers while being recorded by the camera. Depending on the ligament's appearance at the time, the organized light will react in a distinct way, becoming slightly disorganized.
Each camera pixel features a filter to view the subtle changes in the light reflection. Like the eyes of the mantis shrimp, the filters detect tiny changes in the light polarization and can then be translated back to the exact positions of the ligament.
"Traditionally, all we could do is look at how the tissue could stretch, but now we can look at how it reorganizes," Matthew Smith, MD, and professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, said. "We can look at what happens on the microstructural level instead of what happens macroscopically."
The research could have wide-ranging implications for UCL surgeries, including shortened recovery times. Within the past five years, the Tommy John procedure has been modified by the internal brace, which consists of a bovine-collagen dipped tape that assists the stiffening of the donor ligament. Recovery from internal brace Tommy John surgeries can be as quick as six months, and Smith said the information from polarized light imaging can help design tapes that better emulate healthy ligaments.