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E. Dall´Ara, C. Karl, G. Mazza, G. Franzoso, P. Vena, M. Pretterklieber, D. H. Pahr, P.K. Zysset:
"Tissue Properties of the Human Vertebral Body Sub-Structures Evaluated by Means of Microindentation";
Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 25 (2013), 23 - 32.

Results

The cortical shell showed an orthotropic behavior (indentation modulus, Ei, higher if measured along the axial direction, 14.6±2.8 GPa, compared to the circumferential one, 12.3±3.5 GPa, and radial one, 8.3±3.1 GPa). Moreover, the cortical endplates (similar Ei along the antero-posterior, 13.0±2.9 GPa, and along the lateral, 12.0±3.0 GPa, directions) and the trabecular bone (Ei= 13.7±3.4 GPa along the axial direction versus Ei=10.9±3.7 GPa along the transverse one) showed transversal isotropy behavior. Furthermore, the spondylophytes showed the lower mechanical properties measured along the axial direction (Ei=10.5±3.3 GPa).

Conclusions

The original results presented in this study improve our understanding of vertebral biomechanics and can be helpful to define the material properties of the vertebral substructures in computational models such as FE analysis.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.04.020