Abstract
Numerical models based on the Semi Analytical Finite-Element method are used to study the characteristics of guided wave modes supported by bone-like multi-layered tubular structures. The method is first validated using previous literature and experimental studies on phantoms mimicking healthy and osteoporotic conditions of cortical bone, and later used to study a trilayer marrow–bone–tissue system at varying mechanical degradation levels. The results show that bone condition strongly affects the modal properties of axially propagating guided waves and indicates that L(0,3) and F(1,6) are suitable modes for assessing the mechanical condition of the bone. The work here reports suitable modal selection and their dispersion properties which would the aid in development of a transduction mechanism for mechanical assessment of bones.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is a serious medical condition characterized by degradation of biomechanical properties of bone, increasing fragility and posing an increased risk of fracture
The dots represent the results obtained using the semi-analytical finite-element (SAFE) approach presented in this paper, for both the above cases
As seen from the figure, the results show an excellent match with the theoretical dispersion curves published in the above paper with a maximum error of 2% between the computed and reported velocities
Summary
Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), currently used method for diagnosing osteoporosis, can be used to estimate the bone mineral density (BMD) by gaging the absorption level of the X-ray beams by the bone (excluding the soft tissue absorption). This method is intrinsically insensitive to mechanical properties or the micro- architecture of the bone (Kanis et al 1994). Being a 2D projectional measurement, areal BMD is, for instance, unable to distinguish between differential changes occurring in the cortical and trabecular bones at the femoral neck (Grimal et al 2013) Other methods such as X-ray Quantitative Computed Tomography allow for much higher resolutions but are limited to certain skeletal sites and involve processing and technical challenges (Adams 2009; Cheung et al 2013). Irregular cross-sections can be considered, as long as these are axially uniform
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