Electrical and Dielectric Properties of Wet Bone as a Function of Frequency

The electrical and dielectric properties of wet, bovine, compact bone were determined in three orthogonal planes, using a differential technique, for a frequency range of 1 kHz-1 MHz. For axial specimens, at 10 kHz, the specific resistance, specific capacitance, and specific impedance were 16.6 kΩ/cm, 60.9 pF cm-1 and 16.59/-3.65° kΩ cm, respectively. Similarly, the dielectric properties, namely the relative dielectric constant, relative dielectric loss factor and dielectric dissipation factor were 688, 10.8 X 103, and 15.7, respectively. The electrical properties were found to be highly dependent on the frequency and the moisture content of bone. The bone was also found to be highly anisotropic in its electrical behavior, the impedance being lowest in the axial direction. It is shown that the differential method provides an accurate means of measuring the electrical properties of bone, avoiding stray capacitance errors. Copyright © 1984 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc