SEMINAR

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

(Micro-)Mechanics of trabecular and cortical (human) bone

Philipp J. Thurner, Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics (ILSB), TU Wien, Austria

Abstract

Age related bone fragility and bone fracture risk are still mainly diagnosed using bone mass, i.e. areal bone mineral density (aBMD) derived from dual x-ray absorptiometry measurements. This is despite the fact that it has been known for quite some time, that aBMD is in fact not a good discriminator for fracture risk prediction there is a lack of complementary diagnostic tools. For this reason, the search for such tools is ongoing, to identify new diagnostic targets and to develop approaches taking into account also bone quality in order to improve both diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. The “material” properties of bone are in this context of high interest. While some age-related changes in cortical bone have been reported, it is for example unclear whether osteoporotic vs. healthy age-matched cortical bone differs in material properties. Even less is known in the area of trabecular bone, as here, experiments directly assessing the material level are difficult to realize. Within this seminar I will present results from both cortical and trabecular bone addressing such questions.