Multi-Scale Biomechanics of Osteoporotic Spine Fracture

Osteoporosis, the most common bone disorder found in the elderly, afflicts from 15 to 30% Caucasian women in US and results in an estimated 700,000 spine fractures per year. The prevalence of spine fractures in the elderly is high, ranging from 20 to 50%. Fractures are biomechanical events resulting from the load applied to a bone exceeding its ability to bear load. Osteoporotic spine fracture occurs owing to diminished vertebral microarchitecture and microfailure of bone tissues, ultimately leading to a compromised whole vertebral strength, and therefore, it is a multi-scale biomechanics event. In this chapter, insights into the micromechanics of the human vertebral body gained by micro-computed tomography (CT) and micro-finite element modeling will be reviewed. Following that, noninvasive assessment of vertebral strength using quantitative CT-based finite element analysis at a continuum level and its potential applications in improving spine fracture risk prediction in the clinic will be discussed