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Tissue level microstructure and mechanical properties of the femoral head in the proximal femur of fracture patients

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate the regional variations of trabecular morphological parameters and mechanical parameters of the femoral head, as well as to determine the relationship between trabecular morphological and mechanical parameters. Seven femoral heads from patients with fractured proximal femur were scanned using a micro-CT system. Each femoral head was divided into 12 sub-regions according to the trabecular orientation. One \(125\,\hbox {mm}^{3}\) trabecular cubic model was reconstructed from each sub-region. A total of 81 trabecular models were reconstructed, except three destroyed sub-regions from two femoral heads during the surgery. Trabecular morphological parameters, i.e. trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), specific bone surface (BS/BV), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), structural model index (SMI), and degree of anisotropy (DA) were measured. Micro-finite element analyses were performed for each cube to obtain the apparent Young’s modulus and tissue level von Mises stress distribution under 1 % compressive strain along three orthogonal directions, respectively. Results revealed significant regional variations in the morphological parameters (\(P < 0.05\)). Young’s moduli along the trabecular orientation were significantly higher than those along the other two directions. In general, trabecular mechanical properties in the medial region were lower than those in the lateral region. Trabecular mechanical parameters along the trabecular orientation were significantly correlated with BS/BV, BV/TV, Tb.Th, and DA. In this study, regional variations of microstructural features and mechanical properties in the femoral head of patients with proximal femur fracture were thoroughly investigated at the tissue level. The results of this study will help to elucidate the mechanism of femoral head fracture for reducing fracture risk and developing treatment strategies for the elderly.

Graphical Abstract

Bone blocks were reconstructed from micro-CT images of proximal femoral fracture patients. Apparent Young’s modulus and average stress of cancellous bone along three orthogonal directions were calculated by FEA. There were significant differences in mechanical properties between different regions and between different directions.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11322223, 11432016, 81471753 and 11272134), and the 973 Program (No. 2012CB821202).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, 300384, China

    Linwei Lü

  2. Department of Engineering Mechanics, Jilin University, Changchun, 130025, China

    Linwei Lü, Guangwei Meng, He Gong & Jiazi Gao

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, No. 1 Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Dong Zhu

  4. Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Yubo Fan

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  1. Linwei Lü
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Correspondence to He Gong.

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Lü, L., Meng, G., Gong, H. et al. Tissue level microstructure and mechanical properties of the femoral head in the proximal femur of fracture patients. Acta Mech Sin 31, 259–267 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-015-0414-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-015-0414-9

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