Spectral micro-CT for quantitative analysis of calcification in fibrocartilage

[2512.04662] Spectral micro-CT for quantitative analysis of calcification in fibrocartilage Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Physics > Medical Physics arXiv:2512.04662 (physics) [Submitted on 4 Dec 2025] Title: Spectral micro-CT for quantitative analysis of calcification in fibrocartilage Authors: Vittoria Mazzini , Paolo Cardarelli , Andrew L. Coathup , Eleonora Olivotto , Francesco Grassi , Enrico Tassinari , Simone Velardita , Angelo Taibi , Luca Brombal View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: This work introduces a quantitative method for assessing calcification in fibrocartilage using spectral micro-computed tomography ($\mu$CT). Tissue samples of hip acetabular labrum from patients with osteoarthritis and femoroacetabular impingement were imaged with a laboratory-based spectral $\mu$CT system equipped with a small-pixel photon-counting detector. The detector operated with two energy thresholds, allowing the simultaneous acquisition of two CT datasets at different X-ray energies. A material decomposition algorithm accounting for the system's spectral response was applied to separate calcium- and water-like components, yielding three-dimensional visualization and quantification of calcified regions within intact paraffin-embedded samples. Unlike the conventional method for calcification assessment based on histology, this spectral \mu CT approach offers volumetric quantification of calcium structures without physical sectioning or staining. The method achieved a voxel size of 20 $\mu$m for samples up to ~3 cm, with a calcium detection threshold of ~0.3 g/cm$^3$ for structures down to 50 $\mu$m. Quantification accuracy was estimated to be 5% by using a calibration phantom. Further comparison with histology demonstrated the correct localization of calcium spatial distributions and a match in the calcium crystal deposition score by providing non-destructive, quantitative 3D calcium maps of preserved tissue samples. This technique complements histology and could enhance the characterization of pathological fibrocartilage calcification in hip joint disorders. Subjects: Medical Physics (physics.med-ph) Cite as: arXiv:2512.04662 [physics.med-ph] (or arXiv:2512.04662v1 [physics.med-ph] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.04662 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Related DOI : https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMI.13.4.043502 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources Submission history From: Paolo Cardarelli [ view email ] [v1] Thu, 4 Dec 2025 10:50:17 UTC (2,944 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: physics.med-ph < prev | next > new | recent | 2025-12 Change to browse by: physics References & Citations SciX Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer ( What is the Explorer? ) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers ( What is Connected Papers? ) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps ( What is Litmaps? ) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations ( What are Smart Citations? ) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv ( What is alphaXiv? ) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers ( What is CatalyzeX? ) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub ( What is DagsHub? ) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub ( What is GotitPub? ) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face ( What is Huggingface? ) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast ( What is ScienceCast? ) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate ( What is Replicate? ) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces ( What is Spaces? ) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI ( What is TXYZ.AI? ) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower ( What are Influence Flowers? ) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender ( What is CORE? ) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs . Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax ( What is MathJax? ) We gratefully acknowledge support from our major funders , member institutions , and all contributors. About · Help · Contact · Subscribe · Copyright · Privacy · Accessibility · Operational Status (opens in new tab) Major funding support from (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)

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