Computed tomography porosity and spherical indentation for determining cortical bone millimetre-scale mechanical properties.
Oliver R BoughtonShaocheng MaXiran CaiLiye YanLaura PeraltaPascal LaugierT James MarrowFinn GiulianiUlrich HansenRichard L AbelQuentin GrimalJustin P CobbPublished in: Scientific reports (2019)
The cortex of the femoral neck is a key structural element of the human body, yet there is not a reliable metric for predicting the mechanical properties of the bone in this critical region. This study explored the use of a range of non-destructive metrics to measure femoral neck cortical bone stiffness at the millimetre length scale. A range of testing methods and imaging techniques were assessed for their ability to measure or predict the mechanical properties of cortical bone samples obtained from the femoral neck of hip replacement patients. Techniques that can potentially be applied in vivo to measure bone stiffness, including computed tomography (CT), bulk wave ultrasound (BWUS) and indentation, were compared against in vitro techniques, including compression testing, density measurements and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. Porosity, as measured by micro-CT, correlated with femoral neck cortical bone's elastic modulus and ultimate compressive strength at the millimetre length scale. Large-tip spherical indentation also correlated with bone mechanical properties at this length scale but to a lesser extent. As the elastic mechanical properties of cortical bone correlated with porosity, we would recommend further development of technologies that can safely measure cortical porosity in vivo.
Keyphrases
- bone mineral density
- computed tomography
- soft tissue
- magnetic resonance imaging
- bone loss
- bone regeneration
- end stage renal disease
- image quality
- chronic kidney disease
- dual energy
- endothelial cells
- newly diagnosed
- contrast enhanced
- body composition
- magnetic resonance
- peritoneal dialysis
- ultrasound guided
- atomic force microscopy
- prognostic factors
- pet ct