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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Proximal Cadaveric Femur Preparation for Fracture Strength Testing and Quantitative CT-based Finite Element Analysis
Published on: March 11, 2017
DXA-derived section modulus and bone mineral content predict long-bone torsional strength
V K Sarin1, E G Loboa Polefka, G S Beaupré
1Rehabilitation Research & Development Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, CA 94304, USA. sarin@bones.stanford.edu
Abstract:
Previous studies have used dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans to calculate the section modulus (Z) of adolescent and adult human femurs. The DXA-derived values of Z were assumed to be proportional to bone strength in bending and torsion. In this study we used dog (n 5), pig (n 4), and human (n 13) femurs covering a linear bone mineral content (BMCL) range of 0.91-6.1 g/cm. Using DXA scans, ex vivo torsional strength tests, and torsional finite element models, we assessed the validity of using the DXA-derived Z value as an indicator of strength. The correlation between BMCL and strength was r2 = 0.87 and the correlation between Z and strength was r2 = 0.86. Based on finite element results, the dog and pig section moduli were adjusted to be comparable to the human data based on cross-sectional shape and bone tissue shear strength differences. With these adjustments, the correlation between adjusted section modulus and measured strength did not improve (r2 = 0.87). These data indicate that DXA-derived section modulus can be used to predict strength over a wide range of bone sizes. However, a clear advantage of using DXA-derived section modulus rather than BMCL could not be found.
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