A novel approach to estimate trabecular bone anisotropy using a database approach

Continuum finite element (FE) models of bones have become a standard pre-clinical tool to estimate bone strength. These models are usually based on clinical CT scans and material properties assigned are chosen as isotropic based only on the density distribution. It has been shown, however, that trabecular bone elastic behavior is best described as orthotropic. Unfortunately, the use of orthotropic models in FE analysis derived from CT scans is hampered by the fact that the measurement of a trabecular orientation (fabric) is not possible from clinical CT images due to the low resolution of such images. In this study, we explore the concept of using a database (DB) of high-resolution bone models to derive the fabric information that is missing in clinical images. The goal of this study was to investigate if models with fabric derived from a relatively small database can already produce more accurate results than isotropic models.