Non-destructive assessment of human ribs mechanical properties using quantitative ultrasound

Abstract

Advanced finite element models of the thorax have been developed to study, for example, the effects of car crashes. While there is a need for material properties to parameterize such models, specific properties are largely missing. Non-destructive techniques applicable in vivo would, therefore, be of interest to support further development of thorax models. The only non-destructive technique available today to derive rib bone properties would be based on quantitative computed tomography that measures bone mineral density. However, this approach is limited by the radiation dose. Bidirectional ultrasound axial transmission was developed on long bones ex vivo and used to assess in vivo health status of the radius. However, it is currently unknown if the ribs are good candidates for such a measurement. Therefore, the goal of this study is to evaluate the relationship between ex vivo ultrasonic measurements (axial transmission) and the mechanical properties of human ribs to determine if the mechanical properties of the ribs can be quantified non-destructively. The results show statistically significant relationships between the ultrasonic measurements and mechanical properties of the ribs. These results are promising with respect to a non-destructive and non-ionizing assessment of rib mechanical properties. This ex vivo study is a first step toward in vivo studies to derive subject-specific rib properties.

Microanatomical diversity of amniote ribs: an exploratory quantitative study

“…However, identifying the rib most affected by the mechanical load and the lifestyle is difficult because it depends on diverse factors such as locomotion mode and posture, and the identity of the optimal rib (for our purpose) may thus be variable between taxa (Bramble & Carrier, ; Fujiwara et al ., ). Unfortunately, most of the literature related to intraspecific variability in rib architecture is medically‐driven and pertains to humans; it emphasizes assessments of the impact of ageing or traumatic events on the rib cage biomechanics (Yoganandan & Pintar, ; Li et al ., ; Mitton et al ., ; Casha et al ., ,b) or the effect of nutritional or physiological stresses (Heinrich, ).…”

Flipper bone distribution reveals flexible trailing edge in underwater flying marine tetrapods

“…The per‐strip bone proportions for controller flipper‐hydrofoils do not decline as sharply regardless of overall bone proportion (Figures and , Figure S1). As the presence of bone is stiffer than cartilage, ligaments, or other connective tissue (Mente & Lewis, ; Mitton et al, ; Pal, ; Rho et al, ), the sharp decline in propulsive flipper‐hydrofoils indicates a relatively more flexible trailing edge. More flexibility implies greater thrust efficiency based on theoretical and experimental studies on engineered foils (Katz & Weihs, ; Prempraneerach et al, ; Shyy et al, ; Zhao et al, ).…”

“…Although cartilage and ligaments contribute to flipper stiffness, they are not as stiff as bone. Bone has an estimated Young's modulus around 10 to 20 GPa whereas for cartilage and ligaments this value is around 0.1 and 1 GPa, respectively (Mitton et al, ; Pal, ; Rho, Ashman, & Turner, ). Calcification increases the stiffness of cartilage (3.5 GPa) but bone is still stiffer (Mente & Lewis, ).…”

In Vivo Assessment of Elasticity of Child Rib Cortical Bone Using Quantitative Computed Tomography

“…The elasticity ( E ) of the child rib cortical bones was estimated based on the regression presented in [ 31 ] on the adult rib (cortical bone) and recalled below: where BMD HR was measured by HR-pQCT and reported in mg HA/cm 3 and the elasticity was assessed using three-point bending tests and an inverse approach [ 13 ]. The data for these adult ribs are given in Table 2 .…”

“…Therefore, this study focuses on the rib cortical bone. Our group showed recently that quantitative ultrasound can be used to derive rib mechanical properties ex vivo [ 13 ], but this technique cannot yet be applied in vivo. It is well known that mechanical properties are related to bone density (physical measurement) [ 5 , 20 , 21 ].…”