Modeling the Mechanical Consequences of Age-Related Trabecular Bone Loss by XFEM Simulation

Abstract

The elderly are more likely to suffer from fracture because of age-related trabecular bone loss. Different bone loss locations and patterns have different effects on bone mechanical properties. Extended finite element method (XFEM) can simulate fracture process and was suited to investigate the effects of bone loss on trabecular bone. Age-related bone loss is indicated by trabecular thinning and loss and may occur at low-strain locations or other random sites. Accordingly, several ideal normal and aged trabecular bone models were created based on different bone loss locations and patterns; then, fracture processes from crack initiation to complete failure of these models were observed by XFEM; finally, the effects of different locations and patterns on trabecular bone were compared. Results indicated that bone loss occurring at low-strain locations was more detrimental to trabecular bone than that occurring at other random sites; meanwhile, the decrease in bone strength caused by trabecular loss was higher than that caused by trabecular thinning, and the effects of vertical trabecular loss on mechanical properties were more severe than horizontal trabecular loss. This study provided a numerical method to simulate trabecular bone fracture and distinguished different effects of the possible occurrence of bone loss locations and patterns on trabecular bone.

Determination of a tissue-level failure evaluation standard for rat femoral cortical bone utilizing a hybrid computational–experimental method

“…22,33 In general, the precision of FE analysis is mainly dependent on the availability of specimen geometry and material input parameters, as well as the failure mechanism on which they are based. [39][40][41] Here, all FE models were constructed based on the micro-CT images of rat femur. Material parameters were also obtained from previous tests in our laboratory.…”

Characteristics of bone metabolism parameters in urban citizens

“…Полученные в наших исследованиях данные, отражающие закономерности старения костной ткани в возрастном аспекте, в целом соотносятся с результатами исследований других авторов [4]. Многие исследователи отводят главную роль в процессах старения уровню витамина D [11,12].…”

“…Современные геронтологические исследования свидетельствуют о том, что возрастные изменения костно-мышечной системы инициируются дисбалансом между синтетическими и резорбтивными механизмами регуляции костнотканевого обмена [4,5]. К ключевым участникам костного метаболизма относят витамин D, паратиреоидный (ПГ) и соматотропный (СТГ) гормоны, продукты распада коллагеновых матриц кальцификации -С-концевые телопептиды коллагена I и II типов [6].…”

Combined Effects of Exercise and Denosumab Treatment on Local Failure in Post-menopausal Osteoporosis–Insights from Bone Remodelling Simulations Accounting for Mineralisation and Damage

“…For this reason, evaluating the risk of fracture or the strength of a certain bone is a complex task. Several works have addressed this problem at a structural level, estimating the bone strength and/or failure patterns using a FE modelling approach (Hambli, 2013a,b;Harrison et al, 2013;Fan et al, 2016;Hambli et al, 2016), but it is out of the scope of the present work.…”