Simulation of vertebral trabecular bone loss using voxel finite element analysis

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Mc Donnell, P. ^1,2; Harrison, N.^1,2; Liebschner, M. A. K.³; Mc Hugh, P. E.^1,2

Simulation of vertebral trabecular bone loss using voxel finite element analysis

J Biomech. 2009;42(16):2789-2796

Affiliations

¹National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

²Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

³Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Abstract and keywords

Trabecular bone loss in human vertebral bone is characterised by thinning and eventual perforation of the horizontal trabeculae. Concurrently, vertical trabeculae are completely lost with no histological evidence of significant thinning. Such bone loss results in deterioration in apparent modulus and strength of the trabecular core. In this study, a voxel-based finite element program was used to model bone loss in three specimens of human vertebral trabecular bone. Three sets of analyses were completed. In Set 1, strain adaptive resorption was modelled, whereby elements which were subject to the lowest mechanical stimulus (principal strain) were removed. In Set 2, both strain adaptive and microdamage mechanisms of bone resorption were included. Perforation of vertical trabeculae occurred due to microdamage resorption of elements with strains that exceeded a damage threshold. This resulted in collapse of the trabecular network under compression loading for two of the specimens tested. In Set 3, the damage threshold strain was gradually increased as bone loss progressed, resulting in reduced levels of microdamage resorption. This mechanism resulted in trabecular architectures in which vertical trabeculae had been perforated and which exhibited similar apparent modulus properties compared to experimental values reported in the literature. Our results indicate that strain adaptive remodelling alone does not explain the deterioration in mechanical properties that have been observed experimentally. Our results also support the hypothesis that horizontal trabeculae are lost principally by strain adaptive resorption, while vertical trabeculae may be lost due to perforation from microdamage resorption followed by rapid strain adaptive resorption of the remaining unloaded trabeculae.

Keywords: Cancellous bone; Osteoporosis; Remodelling
Links

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.07.038

PubMed: 19782987

WoS: 000273135200025

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Cited By (7)

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2013	Harrison NM, McDonnell P, Mullins L, Wilson N, O’Mahoney D, McHugh PE. Failure modelling of trabecular bone using a non-linear combined damage and fracture voxel finite element approach. Biomech Model Mechanobiol. April 2013;12(2):225-241.
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2019	Du J. Mechanical Adaptation of Human Trabecular Bone: Experimental and Computational Study [PhD thesis]. Loughborough University; 2019.
2012	Kelly N. An Experimental and Computational Investigation of the Inelastic Behaviour of Trabecular Bone [PhD thesis]. Galway, Ireland: National University of Ireland Galway; September 2012.
2010	Fields AJ. Trabecular Microarchitecture, Endplate Failure, and the Biomechanics of Human Vertebral Fractures [PhD thesis]. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley, University of California; 2010.