A Computational Approach to Investigate the Structural Behavior of Bone Scaffold-Implanted Proximal Femur in Routine...

Bone scaffolds are artificial structures used to repair or reconstruct damaged bone tissue and restore its function. Various scaffold materials and structures have been studied, but few have assessed their behavior within anatomical geometries using 2D clinical CT data. Therefore, this study employed a computational approach to analyze the structural behavior of bone scaffolds composed of different materials and porous structures when implanted into a 2D model of the proximal femur derived from clinical-resolution CT images. In addition, this study investigated the relationship between the apparent elastic modulus of bone scaffolds and that of the surrounding bone. The results demonstrated that selecting appropriate materials and porous structures is essential for designing scaffolds with AEM values similar to those of native bone. Scaffolds with matching AEM effectively transferred and supported external loads, whereas those designed solely for high stiffness were less effective in load transmission. Notably, in the femoral head, the square and circular scaffolds made with NBM showed the smallest AEM differences from native bone: 0.93% and 8.27%, respectively. In the femoral neck, circular and triangular scaffolds made with PLDLLA/TCP exhibited the smallest differences of 39.38% and 11.00%. In the intertrochanter, honeycomb and triangular scaffolds made with NBM showed the smallest deviations: 24.51% and 33.00%, respectively. Among all combinations, the square-type scaffold with NBM also generated the highest internal strain energy in the femoral head (9.163 μJ), whereas the triangle scaffold with Bioglass/PLGA exhibited the lowest (0.091 μJ). These findings underscore the importance of tailoring scaffold stiffness to specific anatomical sites to optimize mechanical stimulation and promote bone regeneration.