Iliac cortical thickness in the neonate – the gradient effect

Abstract

Recent studies of the neonatal ilium are beginning to reveal that a recognizable structural patterning of trabecular bone is present in the absence of any direct stance-related weight transfer. However, little is known about the organization of compact bone in the ilium and the way in which it is laid down during the earliest stages of development. This study investigates cortical bone thickness across both gluteal and pelvic iliac shells in the human neonatal ilium. Measurements of specific regions of interest on the iliac cortices were recorded using reconstructed microcomputed tomography scans from 30 neonatal ilia. Analysis of gluteal and pelvic cortical thicknesses revealed a distinctive patterning consistent with the expected bone distribution achieved through early bone modelling and remodelling. The analysis of this pattern is important for understanding the relationship between trabecular bone patterning and cortical bone structure in the earliest stages of pelvic development prior to locomotive influences and its response to the specific functional forces acting during this period.

The Neonatal Ilium—Metaphyseal Drivers and Vascular Passengers

“…Most recently, a study investigating the cortical arrangement of the neonatal ilium has added data regarding early variation in cortical thickness. This study demonstrated a graded pattern of cortical bone thickening in line with the expected growth pattern achieved through normal appositional ossification and developing muscle mass, that is, more peripheral regions showed thinner cortices, whereas more central areas displayed a generally thicker cortex (Cunningham and Black, 2009c). This communication builds upon these previous studies by further investigating both the cortical and trabecular structure of the neonatal ilium by analyzing specific relationships between adjacent volumes of interest (VOI).…”

“…4). The method applied for thickness assessment is documented in a previous communication (Cunningham and Black, 2009c).…”

“…This is particularly true with regards to the structural composition of the human pelvic complex (Dalstra et al, 1993). Previous work on the neonatal ilium has involved the application of various imaging techniques for the nondestructive evaluation of both internal architectural and external morphological features (Cunningham, 2009; Cunningham and Black, 2009a, 2009b, 2009c). An initial study applied plain‐plate radiography to elucidate the overall gross bone morphology of the ilium and demonstrated the presence of defined density trajectories in the fetal and neonatal representations (Cunningham and Black, 2009a).…”

Growth of the Human Ilium: The Anomalous Sacroiliac Junction

“…This process relies on the delivery of osteogenic components via vascular invasion of the ossifying cortex to form trabecular bone (Laurenson, ). It is considered that growth of the ilium is highly influenced by the space occupying requirements of the vasculature that meet the demands of the active metaphyseal growth fronts (Cunningham and Black, ).…”

Prediction of mechanical behavior of cartilaginous infant hips in pavlik harness: A subject‐specific simulation study on normal and dysplastic hips

“…Surface mesh (linear triangular shell element) was used to model cortical bone, and volume mesh (linear tetrahedral solid element) to fill cancellous bone and cartilage volumes. Average uniform cortical thicknesses of 0.3 mm and 2.15 mm were considered for the pelvis and leg components respectively. The cortical‐cancellous bony structures closely behave like sandwich structures having a perfect bond between their components.…”