Constructing the dependence between the Young’s modulus value and the Hounsfield units of spongy tissue of human femoral heads

Abstract

Patient-specific biomechanical modeling requires not only the geometric model of the studied object of a particular patient, but also the mechanical properties of its tissues. Quantitative computed tomography provides the initial data for geometric modeling, as well as data on X-ray density (Hounsfield units) of the object. It is known that Hounsfield units correlate with mineral density of the scanned objects, as well as with their strength properties. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between Hounsfield units and Young's modulus values of human femoral heads spongy tissue. This study was conducted on samples of femur bones spongy tissue. The tissue was obtained from patients who underwent total hip replacement for coxarthrosis. Samples were scanned on a Toshiba Aquilion 64 computed tomograph and then subjected to uniaxial compression on an Instron 5944 universal testing machine. As a result of the study, the average Hounsfield units were obtained for each sample, as well as the Young's modules values. Regression dependencies were calculated linking the Hounsfield units and the Young's modulus values of samples of femoral heads spongy tissue in different types of diseases. The obtained dependences allow one to determine Young's modulus value of femoral heads spongy bone noninvasively for a particular patient, depending on his disease, and using it in the process of preoperative planning. Also, the obtained dependencies can be used in biomechanical modeling of diseases and injuries of vertebral-pelvic complex of a particular patient treatment and can be implemented in medical decision support system in surgery of vertebral-pelvic complex.

Keywords

• quantitative computed tomography
• bone mineral density
• hounsfield units
• young’s modulus