Engineers from the University of Alberta have developed a wireless microsensor to monitor the bone healing process after surgery. The device, which is permanently implanted on a joint, uses nanotechnology to measure "osseointegration", or the degree to which bone attaches itself to a surgical implant, and indicates whether the joint needs to be replaced.

Careful monitoring of how patients are healing will help them recover as quickly as possible and resume normal activities with less chance of stressing the fracture during recovery and rehabilitation. It also allows the surgeon to more accurately decide when it is safe to send patients home from the hospital with their new implants.

The device will also cut down the need for X-rays to monitor bone functionality, reducing costs and exposure to radiation. And the sensor can detect and identify bone loss before it's even visible on a radiograph.

The technology, for which a provisional US patent application has already been filed, may also be applied to artificial knees, hip replacement and other joint therapy.

Source: University of Alberta