Multiphasic modelling of bone-cement injection into vertebral cancellous bone

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Osteoporotic bone fractures are a significant health concern.
• Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a common treatment to reinforce weakened vertebrae.
• Accurate prediction of bone cement distribution is crucial for treatment efficacy and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a continuum-mechanically based model for predicting bone cement distribution during vertebroplasty.
• To integrate experimental data, imaging techniques, and multiphasic modeling.
• To establish a foundation for a clinical tool for pre-operative cement distribution prediction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized high-resolution micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging data and image processing.
• Employed a multiphasic model based on the Theory of Porous Media.
• Developed coupled equations to simulate the interaction of the bone skeleton, bone cement, and bone marrow.

Main Results:

• Successfully simulated complex cement flow within a human vertebra.
• Validated simulation results against experimental injection data.
• Demonstrated the capability to account for solid bone deformations in a fully coupled manner.

Conclusions:

• The developed modeling approach accurately predicts cement distribution and bone deformation during vertebroplasty.
• This work represents a significant step towards a clinical tool for pre-operative planning.
• The integrated methodology offers enhanced insights into the vertebroplasty procedure.