Investigation of the calcium content in joint cartilage: Is it connected with (early arthrotic) changes in cartilage structure?

This paper describes investigations using the Particle Induced X-ray Emission method (PIXE) to evaluate the con-
centration of Ca together with that of other elements (S, Cl, and K) across the articular cartilage of domestic pigs in
order to verify a putative influence of calcium on the structural changes in early arthrotic stage, derived from NMR
microscopic imaging. The measurements were carried out with focused ion beams of a lateral resolution down to
20 lm. The main matrix components (C, N, O) were evaluated from proton backscattering spectra.