Mechanical Properties Of Vertebral Bone Research Articles

Comparative finite-element analysis: a single computational modelling method can estimate the mechanical properties of porcine and human vertebrae

Significant advances in the functional analysis of musculoskeletal systems require the development of modelling techniques with improved focus, accuracy and validity. This need is particularly visible in the fields, such as palaeontology, where unobservable parameters may lie at the heart of the most interesting research questions, and where models and simulations may provide some of the most innovative solutions. Here, we report on the development of a computational modelling method to generate estimates of the mechanical properties of vertebral bone across two living species, using elderly human and juvenile porcine specimens as cases with very different levels of bone volume fraction and mineralization. This study is presented in two parts; part I presents the computational model development and validation, and part II the virtual loading regime and results. This work paves the way for the future estimation of mechanical properties in fossil mammalian bone.

The Contribution of Trabecular Bone to the Stiffness and Strength of Rat Lumbar Vertebrae

In vitro compressive load-displacement experiments on intact rat lumbar vertebrae and on the same vertebrae after part of their trabecular bone was removed. To determine the contribution of the trabecular bone component to the stiffness and strength of rat lumbar vertebrae. Vertebral fractures are common in the aging population, possibly resulting from the deterioration of the mechanical properties of vertebral bone. Studies of the contribution of trabecular bone to the mechanical behavior of whole vertebra were published, but yielded mixed results. Here, we propose a novel optical metrology approach to address this important question. The bodies of intact rat lumbar vertebrae and the bodies of the same vertebrae after part of their trabecular bone was removed were loaded within their elastic region in a wet environment. The amount of trabecular bone removed was determined by micro-computer tomography scanning. Deformation maps of the dorsal vertebral surface of the intact and manipulated vertebrae were obtained using an optical metrology method, and compared. Intact and manipulated vertebrae were also loaded to failure in compression and their strengths and stiffness were compared. The preferred trabecular orientation was found to be along the anterior-posterior axis, which is similar to humans. Removal of up to 42% of the trabecular tissue in the intact vertebrae did not significantly affect lumbar vertebral stiffness. However, removal of even smaller amounts of the intact trabecular tissue significantly reduced vertebral strength. Trabeculae in rat lumbar vertebrae fulfill an important role in failure resistance (strength), but have little or no effect on the deformational behavior (stiffness) of the bone. These results differ from previous results we reported for rat femora, where removal of trabecular bone surprisingly increased the stiffness of the whole bone, and suggest that trabecular tissue may have different functions depending on anatomic location, bone function and morphology, and mode of loading.

Experimental and simulated studies on the plastic mechanical characteristics of osteoporotic vertebral trabecular bone

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures present a major health care burden worldwide, thereby prompting vigorous investigation of the mechanical properties of vertebral bone. Because most vertebral fractures occur gradually and asymptomatically, they are thought to result from loading in daily activities rather than traumatic events. Hence, with respect to stress resistance, the elastic properties of osteoporotic vertebral trabecular bone have generated many studies. A large part of this data describes the linear elastic properties of the bone, with relatively less focus on the plastic mechanical characteristics which may be closely associated with load-induced fracture. We performed experimental and simulated studies of the plastic mechanical characteristics of osteoporotic trabecular bone using non-destructive technologies, rapid-prototyping (RP), and finite element (FE) analysis to build models based on high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) data. Two-dimensional geometries for RP and FE models were derived from micro-CT scans of specimens from the central part of the lumbar vertebrae of aged female donors. A cubic specimen (6.5 mm) and a cylindrical specimen (7 mm in diameter and 5 mm long) were generated for the RP and FE models and analysed in place of real bone specimens. We performed simulated compression tests with the FE models to indirectly validate results of the experimental compression tests. To a remarkable degree, results obtained from experimental and simulated compression tests with the RP and FE models concurred. The results of this study support the use of RP technology and FE analysis in the non-destructive evaluation of the plastic mechanical characteristics of osteoporotic bone.

Investigation of the mechanical interaction of the trabecular core with an external shell using rapid prototype and finite element models

The mechanical properties of vertebral bone have been widely studied with the ultimate goal of improving fracture risk prediction. However, the mechanical interaction between the cortical shell and the trabecular core is not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate this interaction and to determine what effect it has on the ultimate strength of the whole bone. This objective was achieved by compression testing rapid prototype (RP) models of cylindrical trabecular bone cores, with and without an integral surrounding shell and incorporating increasing levels of artificially induced bone loss. Corresponding finite element (FE) models were generated and the load sharing of the shell and trabecular core was analysed under linear elastic loading conditions. The results of the physical RP model tests and corresponding FE analyses indicated that there was a reinforcing effect between the cortical shell and the trabecular core for all models tested and that the reinforcing effect became relatively more important to the ultimate strength of the whole bone as the bone volume fraction of the trabecular core decreased. It was found that two mechanisms contributed to the reinforcing effect: (i) load transfer from the highly stressed shell into the connecting outer trabeculae of the core for the shelled model. This did not occur for the un-shelled model where the load dropped off at the outer unsupported trabeculae; (ii) the stiffening effect on the shell due to the support provided by the connecting struts of the trabecular core, which serves to inhibit bending and buckling behaviour in the shell under compression loading. It was found that the stiffening on the shell was the more dominant contributor to the overall reinforcing effect between the shell and the trabecular core.

P29. Dependence of ultrasonic and mechanical properties of vertebral bone on orientation

P29. Dependence of ultrasonic and mechanical properties of vertebral bone on orientation