Micro-Mechanical Modeling in the Nonlinear Regime for Assessing Indices of Bone Strength from High-Resolution MR Images

Ning Zhang¹, Jeremy F. Magland¹, Chamith S. Rajapakse¹, Felix Wehrli¹

High-resolution image-based nonlinear micro-finite element modeling can simulate bone failure behavior thereby potentially assess osteoporotic fracture risk. Here, a nonlinear μFE model was designed and implemented for estimating trabecular bone yield and post-yield properties. Its performance was evaluated via a serial reproducibility and reliability study on in-vivo μMR images of the distal radius. The results suggest that the yield and post-yield parameters derived from the nonlinear model have adequate reproducibility to evaluate treatment effects in interventional studies within short follow-up periods.