Patent ID: 8170649

Claim:
A device for measuring the thickness of a layer of cartilage located on subchondral bone, said device comprising: at least one light source; a probe; at least one fiber bundle configured for conveying light from said at least one light source to the surface of the cartilage when said probe is positioned adjacent to the cartilage, without disrupting the surface of the cartilage; a light detector; and a signal processor configured to determine the thickness of the cartilage based on data acquired by said light detector; wherein: said at least one light source generates light of known intensity, of a plurality of wavelengths, said light detector is configured for measuring the intensity of light back-scattered from the cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone for at least two of said plurality of wavelengths, and said signal processor is configured to determine the cartilage thickness based on predetermined optical properties of cartilage and subchondral bone at said at least two wavelengths, and based on the measured intensity of the back-scattered light at said at least two wavelengths.