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Prediction of fracture propagation in human femur using the Finite Element Method

Bengtsson, Frida LU (2018) BMEM01 20181
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Abstract (Swedish)
Hip fractures constitute a major problem, both in terms of a lower life quality for the people affected and socio-economical factors. Osteoporosis is a medical condition, defined by decreased bone mass, which results in a more fragile bone structure and a higher risk for fractures. Osteoporosis accounts for a cost of € 1.5 billion each year in Sweden alone, and the costs are increasing.

In order to prevent fractures from occurring, new robust methods for fracture risk assessments are needed. The majority of the computational methods available today show promising results, but do not account for the individual bone geometry or materials and are often not able to capture the complicated mechanical response of bone fractures.

In this... (More)
Hip fractures constitute a major problem, both in terms of a lower life quality for the people affected and socio-economical factors. Osteoporosis is a medical condition, defined by decreased bone mass, which results in a more fragile bone structure and a higher risk for fractures. Osteoporosis accounts for a cost of € 1.5 billion each year in Sweden alone, and the costs are increasing.

In order to prevent fractures from occurring, new robust methods for fracture risk assessments are needed. The majority of the computational methods available today show promising results, but do not account for the individual bone geometry or materials and are often not able to capture the complicated mechanical response of bone fractures.

In this project, a subject-specific FE modeling method was combined with a PUFEM-based code that worked on homogeneous materials. A convergence study was performed in order to find a suitable step-size in the solution method, as well as a material parameters study to confirm the accurate mechanical response of the models. The goal of the material parameter study was also to assess the influence in terms of location of fracture initiation point and fracture pathway.

At the current state, several models have been produced and tested, both homogeneous and heterogeneous models. In the homogeneous models, identical material parameters were used for cortical and trabecular bone, whereas in the heterogeneous models different stiffnesses were used for cortical and trabecular bone tissues. With these models, it was possible to calculate crack initiation and crack path as well as e.g. the stress distribution. To conclude, subject-specific FE-models showed promising result as a method to predict fractures and could lead to an improved understanding of the mechanical responses of bone. (Less)
Popular Abstract
Hip fractures can be predicted using numerical models
-You probably know at least one older person who broke their hip. Hip fractures most often affect older people and it is both painful, takes time to heal and is expensive for the society. If there was a way to predict and prevent fractures, a lot of suffering, time and money could be saved.-
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author
Bengtsson, Frida LU
supervisor
organization
course
BMEM01 20181
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
additional info
2018-10
id
8943404
date added to LUP
2018-06-18 09:32:39
date last changed
2018-06-18 13:42:05
@misc{8943404,
  abstract     = {{Hip fractures constitute a major problem, both in terms of a lower life quality for the people affected and socio-economical factors. Osteoporosis is a medical condition, defined by decreased bone mass, which results in a more fragile bone structure and a higher risk for fractures. Osteoporosis accounts for a cost of € 1.5 billion each year in Sweden alone, and the costs are increasing. 

In order to prevent fractures from occurring, new robust methods for fracture risk assessments are needed. The majority of the computational methods available today show promising results, but do not account for the individual bone geometry or materials and are often not able to capture the complicated mechanical response of bone fractures.

In this project, a subject-specific FE modeling method was combined with a PUFEM-based code that worked on homogeneous materials. A convergence study was performed in order to find a suitable step-size in the solution method, as well as a material parameters study to confirm the accurate mechanical response of the models. The goal of the material parameter study was also to assess the influence in terms of location of fracture initiation point and fracture pathway. 

At the current state, several models have been produced and tested, both homogeneous and heterogeneous models. In the homogeneous models, identical material parameters were used for cortical and trabecular bone, whereas in the heterogeneous models different stiffnesses were used for cortical and trabecular bone tissues. With these models, it was possible to calculate crack initiation and crack path as well as e.g. the stress distribution. To conclude, subject-specific FE-models showed promising result as a method to predict fractures and could lead to an improved understanding of the mechanical responses of bone.}},
  author       = {{Bengtsson, Frida}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Prediction of fracture propagation in human femur using the Finite Element Method}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}