Bone’s mechanical properties, as determined by MicroCT, are dependent on precise contour lines

Micro CT based finite element modeling of trabecular and cortical bone is an effective technique for determining bone´s mechanical properties. It is unknown, however, to what degree the selection of the volume of interest by the user via contour lines affects bone morphology and mechanical properties. Therefore four bones were each set up with different contour lines and the results for mechanical and morphological parameters compared. As the results differed for the same bone up to , this study gets to the conclusion that an automatic script for drawing contour lines is the only way to get repeatable and comparable results.