Development of a Novel Measure of Three-Dimensional Bone Connectivity in a Mouse Tibia Fracture Model: Characterizing Torsional Strength and Stiffness Through Failure Surface Analysis

The high incidence of long bone fractures and appreciable rate of delayed and non-union (5-10%) necessitates the development of non-invasive tools to monitor healing progression. The objective of this study was to develop a novel µCT-based measure of three-dimensional bone connectivity and to compare its ability to assess fracture callus mechanical stability to previously described measures. Bone connectivity parameters local to the failure surface were found to significantly correlate with mechanical stability, and proved superior to previously developed measures of torsional rigidity. Visualization of the failure surfaces demonstrated a consistent failure pattern indicative of the applied torsional loading, however the locations of the failure surfaces showed varying levels of fracture callus involvement. The results of this proof of concept work indicate the potential utility of bone connectivity analysis in non-invasive assessment of fracture callus stability.

Year	Entry
1974	Reilly DT, Burstein AH, Frankel VH. The elastic modulus for bone. J Biomech. May 1974;7(3):271-275.
2010	Bouxsein ML, Boyd SK, Christiansen BA, Guldberg RE, Jepsen KJ, Müller R. Guidelines for assessment of bone microstructure in rodents using micro-computed tomography. J Bone Miner Res. July 2010;25(7):1468-1486.
2009	Morgan EF, Mason ZD, Chien KB, Pfeiffer AJ, Barnes GL, Einhorn TA, Gerstenfeld LC. Micro-computed tomography assessment of fracture healing: relationships among callus structure, composition, and mechanical function. Bone. February 2009;44(2):335-344.
1993	Turner CH, Burr DB. Basic biomechanical measurements of bone: a tutorial. Bone. 1993;14(4):595-608.
1993	Odgaard A, Gundersen HJG. Quantification of connectivity in cancellous bone, with special emphasis on 3-D reconstructions. Bone. March–April 1993;14(2):173-182.
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Year

Entry

1974

Reilly DT, Burstein AH, Frankel VH. The elastic modulus for bone. J Biomech. May 1974;7(3):271-275.

2010

Bouxsein ML, Boyd SK, Christiansen BA, Guldberg RE, Jepsen KJ, Müller R. Guidelines for assessment of bone microstructure in rodents using micro-computed tomography. J Bone Miner Res. July 2010;25(7):1468-1486.

2009

Morgan EF, Mason ZD, Chien KB, Pfeiffer AJ, Barnes GL, Einhorn TA, Gerstenfeld LC. Micro-computed tomography assessment of fracture healing: relationships among callus structure, composition, and mechanical function. Bone. February 2009;44(2):335-344.

1993

Turner CH, Burr DB. Basic biomechanical measurements of bone: a tutorial. Bone. 1993;14(4):595-608.

1993

Odgaard A, Gundersen HJG. Quantification of connectivity in cancellous bone, with special emphasis on 3-D reconstructions. Bone. March–April 1993;14(2):173-182.