Changes in trabecular packets with age & effects on mechanical behaviour of cancellous bone

A person’s risk of experiencing a bony fracture increases with age. In addition to simply the loss of bone volume that occurs due to aging, there are also microstructural changes that contribute to the increased risk. The latter have been poorly studied to date. Trabecular packets (also known as hemiosteons) are the microstructural constituents of the cancellous bone that form the bulk of a spinal vertebrae, a common location for age-related fractures. Our hypothesis is that age alters the population of packets within the bone, which in turn affects the bone’s mechanical and failure behaviour.

The goal of the proposed research is to gather preliminary data supporting this hypothesis in samples from a young and old spine. Two cores of vertebral cancellous bone will be X-rayed in three-dimensions (3D) to measure its geometry, along with the 3D strain distribution when the sample is compressed. We will then embed the samples, section and stain them, and image the slices, in order to reconstruct the 3D geometry of the trabecular packets. The packets identified can then be related to their position within the overall sample geometry, as well as the strain measured in those locations. TBC

Faculty Supervisor:

Brent Lievers

Student:

Partner:

University of Southern Denmark

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

Laurentian University

Program: