Generating Virtual Bone Scans for the Purpose of Investigating the Effects of Cortical Microstructure

Abstract

Evaluating the contribution of microstructure to overall bone strength is tricky since it is difficult to control changes to pore structure in human or animal samples. We developed an open-source program that can generate three-dimensional (3D) models of micron-scale cortical bone. These models can be highly customized with a wide array of variable input parameters to allow for generation of samples similar to micro-computed topography scans of cortical bone or with specific geometric features. The program can generate samples with specific desired porosities and minor deviations in pore diameter from human samples: 1.67% (±4.90) using literature values, and 1.36% (±2.39) with optimized values. When coupled with finite element analysis, this open-source program could be a useful tool for evaluating stress distributions caused by microstructural changes.