Subject-specific bone remodelling of the scapula

Abstract

Finite element analyses, with increasing levels of detail and complexity, are becoming effective tools to evaluate the performance of joint replacement prostheses and to predict the behaviour of bone. As a first step towards the study of the complications of shoulder arthroplasty, the aim of this work was the development and validation of a 3D finite element model of an intact scapula for the prediction of the bone remodelling process based on a previously published model that attempts to follow Wolff's law. The boundary conditions applied include full muscle and joint loads taken from a multibody system of the upper limb based on the same subject whose scapula was here analysed. To validate the bone remodelling simulations, qualitative and quantitative comparisons between the predicted and the specimen's bone density distribution were performed. The results showed that the bone remodelling model was able to successfully reproduce the actual bone density distribution of the analysed scapula.

Keywords::

• bone remodelling
• scapula
• shoulder arthroplasty
• finite element method

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the FCT through the project PTDC/SAU-BEB/103408/2008 and the PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/46311/2008.