There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Trabecular plates play an important role in determining elastic moduli of trabecular
bone. However, the relative contribution of trabecular plates and rods to strength
behavior is still not clear. In this study, individual trabeculae segmentation (ITS)
and nonlinear finite element (FE) analyses were used to evaluate the roles of trabecular
types and orientations in the failure initiation and progression in human vertebral
trabecular bone. Fifteen human vertebral trabecular bone samples were imaged using
micro computed tomography (microCT), and segmented using ITS into individual plates
and rods by orientation (longitudinal, oblique, and transverse). Nonlinear FE analysis
was conducted to perform a compression simulation for each sample up to 1% apparent
strain. The apparent and relative trabecular number and tissue fraction of failed
trabecular plates and rods were recorded during loading and data were stratified by
trabecular orientation. More trabecular rods (both in number and tissue fraction)
failed at the initiation of compression (0.1-0.2% apparent strain) while more plates
failed around the apparent yield point (>0.7% apparent strain). A significant correlation
between plate bone volume fraction (pBV/TV) and apparent yield strength was found
(r(2)=0.85). From 0.3% to 1% apparent strain, significantly more longitudinal trabecular
plate and transverse rod failed than other types of trabeculae. While failure initiates
at rods and rods fail disproportionally to their number, plates contribute significantly
to the apparent yield strength because of their larger number and tissue volume. The
relative failed number and tissue fraction at apparent yield point indicate homogeneous
local failure in plates and rods of different orientations.