Apparatus for measuring the swelling dependent electrical conductivity of charged hydrated soft tissues

This paper describes a new apparatus and method for measuring swelling dependent electrical conductivity of charged hydrated soft tissues. The apparatus was calibrated using a conductivity standard. Swelling dependent specific conductivity of porcine annulus fibrosis (AF) samples was determined. The conductivity values for porcine AF were similar to those for human and bovine articular cartilage found in the literature. Results revealed a significant linear correlation between specific conductivity and water content for porcine AF tissues tested in phosphate buffered saline (PBS).