RESUMEN
We developed a noninvasive method to evaluate bone structural integrity. It is based on the measurement of the dynamic characteristics of the bone using sweeping sound excitation in the range of acoustic frequencies. The Quality Factor (a measure of material damping) has been used as an indicator of the tendency of the bone to fracture. Results of animal studies have supported this hypothesis since linear correlations were observed between bone density, quality factor, and impact strength. A vibration excitation in the form of an acoustic sweep signal is applied to a bone to measure the quality factor. Rat bones were tested, obtained from animals with osteoporosis age-dependent (tested in vitro) or ovariectomy-induced (tested in vivo), and compared with bones of healthy (control) rats. The change in damping was, on average, equal or greater to the change in density. Moreover, excellent correlation of the quality factor was obtained with bone fracture energy measured with an impact test. During a vibration cycle, the changing strain results in temperature changes due to the reciprocity of temperature and strain. Nonreversible conduction of heat due to the unequal temperature change results in entropy production that is enhanced due to the stress concentration about the voids associated with bone porosity. Damping is a measure of the production of entropy. Its measure, the quality factor, represents a potentially useful tool for monitoring bone integrity, which is deteriorating in diseases characterized by disruption of the trabecular architecture, such as osteoporosis. A computational model yielded results that are in good correlation with the experimental results.
Asunto(s)
Densidad Ósea , Huesos/diagnóstico por imagen , Osteoporosis/diagnóstico , Absorciometría de Fotón , Estimulación Acústica , Analgésicos/farmacología , Animales , Densidad Ósea/efectos de los fármacos , Huesos/fisiopatología , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Elasticidad , Femenino , Isoflavonas/farmacología , Modelos Biológicos , Osteoporosis/tratamiento farmacológico , Osteoporosis/fisiopatología , Condicionamiento Físico Animal , Ratas , Ratas Long-Evans , Ultrasonografía , VibraciónRESUMEN
The aim of this work was a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of using in vivo measurements of mechanical properties of bones to detect mineral loss and further to relate them to the tendency of the bone to fracture in the case of loss of minerals, such as in osteoporosis. Previous studies of bone strength in vitro have demonstrated that the decrease in bone strength in both the spine and the femur has strong correlation with the mineral content (BMC) measured with bone densitometry. It was demonstrated that loss of mineral in the bone is accompanied by substantial change of the main mechanical properties, decrease of the Young's modulus, and increase of the damping factor. The change in those properties is one order of magnitude greater than the change in bone density. Moreover, increase of bone density, by way of training, resulted in decrease of the damping factor that also was substantially greater than the change in density. The tests showed clearly that the change in mechanical properties was much greater than the change in bone mass density. This offers an attractive new alternative to the detection of bone mass loss as it appears that the change of the bone mass is well correlated to the change in these mechanical properties. In particular, the change in the damping factor of the material was found to be much more substantial than the bone density change. Therefore, the damping mechanism offers the vehicle for a direct assessment of the bone tendency to fracture due to the loss of mass, as tendency to fracture and mass loss are known to be related.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)