Comparative analysis of bone remodelling models with respect to computerised tomography-based finite element models of bone

Subject-specific finite element models are an extensively used tool for the numerical analysis of the biomechanical behaviour of human bones. However, bone modelling is not an easy task due to the complex behaviour of bone tissue, involving non-homogeneous and anisotropic mechanical properties. Moreover, bone is a living tissue and therefore its microstructure and mechanical properties evolve with time in a known process called bone remodelling. This phenomenon has been widely studied, many being the numerical models that have been formulated to predict density distribution and its evolution in several bones. The aim of the present study is to assess the capability of a bone remodelling model to predict the bone density distribution of different types of human bone (femur, tibia and mandible) comparing the obtained results with the bone density estimated by means of computerised tomography. Good accuracy was observed for the bone remodelling predictions including the thickness of the cortical layer.