Detecting and Monitoring Periprosthetic Joint Infection by Using Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy: A Preliminary Case Study

A method to detect the presence of infection after Total Joint Arthroplasty is presented. The method is based on Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy and guarantees low latency, non-invasiveness, and cheapness with respect to the state of art. Experimental measurements were carried out on a singular patient who had already undergone bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty. He was affected by a hematogenous Periprosthetic Joint Infections on the left knee. The right knee was adopted as the reference. Measurements were acquired once before the surgical procedure (Diagnosis Phase) and twice in the postoperative phases (Monitoring Phase). The most relevant frequency range, for diagnosis and monitoring phases, was found to be between 10 kHz to 50 kHz. The healing trend predicted by the decrease of impedance magnitude spectrum was reflected in clinical and laboratory results. In addition, one month after the last acquisition (two months after the surgery), the patient fully recovered, confirming the prediction of the Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy technique.

Automated summary

This article presents a method for detecting infection after total joint arthroplasty using Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy. The method provides low latency, non-invasiveness, and affordability compared to current techniques. Experimental measurements on a patient with bilateral knee arthroplasty showed that the predicted healing trend based on impedance magnitude spectrum matched the clinical and laboratory results. The patient fully recovered one month after the last measurement, confirming the accuracy of the Electrical Bioimpedance Spectroscopy technique.