Hydraulic Resistance and Permeability in Human Lumbar Vertebral Bodies

Abstract

Hydraulic resistance (HR) was measured for ten intact human lumbar vertebrae to further understand the mechanisms of fluid flow through porous bone. Oil was forced through the vertebral bodies under various volumetric flow rates and the resultant pressure was measured. The pressure-flow relationship for each specimen was linear. Therefore, HR was constant with a mean of 2.22±1.45 kPa*sec/ml. The mean permeability of the intact vertebral bodies was 4.90×10−10±4.45×10−10 m2. These results indicate that this methodology is valid for whole bone samples and enables the exploration of the effects of HR on the creation of high-speed fractures.