JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS
Abstract
Densitometry is considered to be the gold standard in bone quality assessment. However, since its
introduction, the medical community has been aware that mineral density is only one of the
factors that influence the bone risk of fracture, which also depends on the bone’s trabecular
arrangement and, in particular, on the trabecular architecture’s load bearing capabilities. At the
University of Trieste, in recent years, a test has been developed that simulates the application of
compressive loads on trabecular architecture’s reconstructions extracted from digital radiographs.
In this work, the test is described, and the results obtained by applying the appraisal in a particular
case of severe osteoporosis of the hand, complicating a Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
type II, are presented. The test was able to quantify the pathological alterations of bone microarchitecture
by means of a Structural Index (SI), which was absolutely significant and relevant to
the clinical situation. Important research and clinical opportunities of application of the test
include: accurate evaluation of osteoporotic bone diseases, careful clinical follow‐up and
monitoring of responses to therapeutic approaches, and, prospectively, reliable quantification of
biological damage (forensic field).
