Bending strength of the femur in relation to non-invasive bone mineral assessment

Comparative high-resolution pQCT analysis of femoral neck indicates different bone mass distribution in osteoporosis and osteoarthritis

“…The fact that the trabecular and cortical thickness of the femoral neck, as well as the bone volume and apparent density of the relevant compartments, are negatively correlated in OA supports the view that the modeling process that distributes the bone mass along the femoral neck axis is preserved in this cohort to fulfill mechanical demand [40,41]. A greater resistance to bending is produced by later displacement of the relatively thinner cortex from the neutral axis [42], and a thick cortical shell is preferred over a dense trabecular core for bone strength at the femoral neck, as shown by strain distribution analysis with micro-finite element models [32]. At variance with fracture subjects, OA is associated, at least in postmenopausal women, with an outward shift of bone mass from the neutral axis to the cortical compartment, as well as a bone apposition process at the residual trabecular surface, as a compensatory mechanism to preserve the mechanical competence of the bone, despite age-and/or disease-related loss of trabecular bone.…”

Structural properties of fourth-generation composite femurs and tibias

“…For the exceptions, tibia flexural rigidity with the anterior surface in tension and femur compressive longitudinal strain at the second lowest strain gage location, the third-and fourth-generation average results were within 5% of each other. All measurements were taken by the same author in separate studies using identical methodology; the natural bone values measured previously by the author were in line with those reported by other researchers (Cristofolini and Viceconti, 2000;Cristofolini et al, 1996;Crowninshield et al, 1980;Diegel et al, 1989;Martens et al, 1980Martens et al, , 1986McBeath et al, 1980;Motoshima, 1960;Oh and Harris, 1978;Otani et al, 1993a, b;Papini et al, 2007;Stromsoe et al, 1995). Natural tibia axial stiffness results were not reported, because of unacceptably high setup variability indicating exceptional difficulty in obtaining reproducible bone alignment (Heiner and Brown, 2003); this complication was also reported by Cristofolini and Viceconti (2000).…”

DXA-derived section modulus and bone mineral content predict long-bone torsional strength

“…Borders et al (1977) found strong correlations between bending strength and both BMC, and bending stiffness (flexural rigidity) in dog radii, ulnae and tibiae. Stromsoe et al (1995) found that bone mineral content and second area moment of inertia predicted the bending strength of the distal human femur equally well. Martin et al (1989) examined rhesus monkey femurs (n 9, approximate BMC, range: 0.6 g/cm to 1.2 g/cm) and found that linear bone mineral content (3 = 0.88) was slightly better at predicting bending strength than was absorptiometryderived section modulus (6 = 0.85).…”