Large-scale microstructural simulation of load-adaptive bone remodeling in whole human vertebrae

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Computational Biology
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Assessing fracture risk is challenging, often overlooking microstructural adaptation and load changes.
• Previous bone remodeling simulations were limited to small bone samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a large-scale computational framework for predicting microstructural adaptation in entire human vertebrae.
• To incorporate load-adaptive bone remodeling simulations for enhanced fracture risk prediction.

Main Methods:

• Developed a large-scale framework for bone remodeling simulations on whole human vertebrae.
• Utilized microfinite element analysis with three load cases as boundary conditions.
• Simulated 10 years of homeostatic adaptation and evaluated subvolume responses.

Main Results:

• Achieved homeostatic adaptation in whole vertebrae with bone volume fraction (BV/TV) changes under 5% over 10 years.
• Demonstrated that simplified boundary conditions impair trabecular structure maintenance.
• Showed that rotating loading direction can induce adaptation to new conditions.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework enables large-scale bone remodeling simulations for whole human bones.
• This approach offers a pathway to more accurate predictions of microstructural changes and improved fracture risk assessment.