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A Method to Estimate Cadaveric Femur Cortical Strains During Fracture Testing Using Digital Image Correlation
Published on: September 14, 2017
Predicting fracture using 2D finite element modelling
J A M MacNeil1, J D Adachi, D Goltzman
1Dalhousie University, Canada.
Medical Engineering & Physics
|October 1, 2011
Summary
A new finite element model (FEM) using bone geometry and density shows improved fracture risk prediction compared to bone mineral density (BMD) alone. This approach offers a more accurate assessment for osteoporosis and fragility fractures.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology
Background:
- Decreased bone density increases fracture risk, but bone mineral density (BMD) measurements offer limited insight into fracture mechanics.
- Bone fracture is determined by applied load versus ultimate bone strength, influenced by material properties (approximated by BMD) and geometry.
- Current BMD assessments lack the ability to fully capture the complex interplay of factors contributing to skeletal fragility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a two-dimensional finite element model (FEM) for estimating vertebral fracture risk.
- To integrate bone geometry from radiographs and BMD from DXA scans into the FEM.
- To compare the predictive performance of FEM against traditional BMD measurements for fragility fractures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) involving 4194 participants over 50 years old.
- Generated patient-specific 2D FEMs of lumbar vertebrae (L1-L4) using radiographic data.
- Assigned bone tissue stiffness based on individual vertebral BMD, adjusted for age, and applied axial compression simulating body mass.
Main Results:
- The FEM demonstrated significantly higher sensitivity in predicting fragility fractures compared to BMD in both women (10.8% vs. 3.77%) and men (11.3% vs. 0.86%).
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated superior performance of the FEM over BMD.
- Baseline FEM assessment of high fracture risk was a more effective predictor of 5-year incident fragility fractures than BMD.
Conclusions:
- Two-dimensional finite element modeling integrating bone geometry and BMD provides a more sensitive and accurate method for predicting vertebral fracture risk.
- FEM offers a significant advancement over conventional BMD measurements for identifying individuals at high risk of fragility fractures.
- This modeling approach holds promise for improved clinical assessment and management of osteoporosis.
