Design of a surrogate for evaluation of methods to predict bone bending stiffness

Abstract

The high incidence of osteoporosis and related fractures demands for the use and development of methods capable of detecting changes in bone mechanical properties. The most common clinical and laboratory methods used to detect changes in bone mechanical properties, such as stiffness, strength, or flexural rigidity, include: mechanical testing, medical imaging, medical image-based analytical calculations, and medical image-based finite element analysis. However, the innate complexity of bone makes validation of the results from each method difficult. The current study presents the design, fabrication, and functional testing of a bi-material and computed tomography scan compatible bone-surrogate which provides consistent reproducible mechanical properties for methodological evaluation of experimental, analytical, and computational bone bending stiffness prediction methods.