Rib geometry explains variation in dynamic structural response: potential implications for frontal impact fracture risk

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Murach, Michelle M.¹; Kang, Yun-Seok¹; Goldman, Samuel D.¹; Schafman, Michelle A.¹; Schlecht, Stephen H.²; Moorhouse, Kevin³; Bolte, IV, John H.¹; Agnew, Amanda M.¹

Rib geometry explains variation in dynamic structural response: potential implications for frontal impact fracture risk

Ann Biomed Eng. September 2017;45(9):2159-2173

©2017 Biomedical Engineering Society

Affiliations

¹Injury Biomechanics Research Center, The Ohio State University, 2063 Graves Hall, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

²National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, Vehicle Research and Test Center, East Liberty, OH 43074, USA

³Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Biomedical Sciences Research Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Abstract and keywords

The human thorax is commonly injured in motor vehicle crashes, and despite advancements in occupant safety rib fractures are highly prevalent. The objective of this study was to quantify the ability of gross and cross-sectional geometry, separately and in combination, to explain variation of human rib structural properties. One hundred and twenty-two whole mid-level ribs from 76 fresh post-mortem human subjects were tested in a dynamic frontal impact scenario. Structural properties (peak force and stiffness) were successfully predicted (p < 0.001) by rib cross-sectional geometry obtained via direct histological imaging (total area, cortical area, and section modulus) and were improved further when utilizing a combination of cross-sectional and gross geometry (robusticity, whole bone strength index). Additionally, preliminary application of a novel, adaptive thresholding technique, allowed for total area and robusticity to be measured on a subsample of standard clinical CT scans with varied success. These results can be used to understand variation in individual rib response to frontal loading as well as identify important geometric parameters, which could ultimately improve injury criteria as well as the biofidelity of anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and finite element (FE) models of the human thorax.

Keywords: Thorax; Rib; Cross-sectional geometry; Robusticity; Fracture risk; Stiffness
Links

DOI: 10.1007/s10439-017-1850-4

PubMed: 28547660

WoS: 000408197700010
History

Received: 2017-01-06

Accepted: 2017-05-05

Online: 2017-05-25

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Year	Entry
2017	Albert DL, Kang Y, Agnew AM, Kemper AR. A comparison of rib structural and material properties from matched whole rib bending and tension coupon tests. In: Proceedings of the 2017 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 13-15, 2017; Antwerp, Belgium.567-576.
2017	Agnew AM, Murach MM, Misicka E, Moorhouse K, Bolte JH IV, Kang YS. The effect of body size on adult human rib structural properties. In: Proceedings of the 2017 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 13-15, 2017; Antwerp, Belgium.728-736.
2018	Albert DL, Kang Y, Agnew AM, Kemper AR. The effect of injurious whole rib loading on rib cortical bone material properties. In: Proceedings of the 2018 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 12-14, 2018; Athens, Greece.680-687.
2019	Holcombe SA, Kang Y-S, Wang SC, Agnew AM. The accuracy of local rib bone geometry measurement using full body CT images. In: Proceedings of the 2019 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 11-13, 2019; Florence, Italy.453-464.
2019	Harden AL, Kang Y-S, Moorhouse K, Stammen J, Agnew AM. Human rib fracture characteristics and relationships with structural properties. In: Proceedings of the 2019 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 11-13, 2019; Florence, Italy.465-474.
2020	Fleischmann KM, Hsu F-C, Aira JR, Gayzik FS. The effect of varying enclosed area and age-adjusted cortical bone properties on the structural response of the rib: a simulation study. In: Proceedings of the 2020 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. 2020; Munich, Germany.123-136.
2020	Tillis M, Stuckey S, Sreedhar A, Stammen J, Moorhouse K, Agnew A, Kang Y-S. Preliminary methods for modeling stress-strain curves of human ribs from structural dynamic bending tests. In: Proceedings of the 2020 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. 2020; Munich, Germany.732-745.
2020	Sreedhar A, Kang Y-S, Bolte JH IV, Murach MM, Stammen J, Moorhouse K, Ramachandra R, Agnew AM. A hierarchical exploration of rib strain in dynamic frontal thoracic impacts. In: Proceedings of the 2020 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. 2020; Munich, Germany.746-769.
2017	Murach MM, Kang Y-S, Stammen J, Moorhouse K, Bolte JH IV, Agnew AM. A preliminary exploration of contribution of the individual rib to dynamic response of the human thorax. In: Proceedings of the 13th Ohio State University Injury Biomechanics Symposium. May 21-23, 2017; Columbus, OH.
2018	Agnew AM, Murach MM, Dominguez VM, Sreedhar A, Misicka E, Harden A, Bolte JH IV, Kang Y-S, Stammen J, Moorhouse K. Sources of variability in structural bending response of pediatric and adult human ribs in dynamic frontal impacts. Proceedings of the Stapp Car Crash Conference. November 2018;62:119-192.
2019	Holcombe SA, Kang Y, Derstine BA, Wang SC, Agnew AM. Regional maps of rib cortical bone thickness and cross‐sectional geometry. J Anat. November 2019;235(5):883-891.
2020	Katzenberger MJ, Albert DL, Agnew AM, Kemper AR. Effects of sex, age, and two loading rates on the tensile material properties of human rib cortical bone. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. February 2020;102:103410.
2021	Yates KM, Agnew AM, Albert DL, Kemper AR, Untaroiu CD. Subject-specific rib finite element models with material data derived from coupon tests under bending loading. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. April 2021;116:104358.
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2017	Murach MM. The Contribution of the Individual Rib to Thoracic Response Under Dynamic Loading Conditions: A Preliminary Hierarchical Approach [Master's thesis]. The Ohio State University; 2017.
2021	Sreedhar A. The Development of an Analytical Model to Predict Thoracic Response from Dynamic Individual Rib Tests [Master's thesis]. The Ohio State University; 2021.
2021	Tillis M. Modeling Stress-Strain Curves At the Fracture Location of Human Ribs from Structural Dynamic Bending Tests [Master's thesis]. The Ohio State University; 2021.
2018	Albert DL. Biomechanical Responses of Human Surrogates Under Various Frontal Loading Conditions With an Emphasis on Thoracic Response and Injury Tolerance [PhD thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; April 19, 2018.