The influence of assumed relationships between bone´s mechanical properties and CT density on results of finite element analyses

This study compares the effect of eight postulated density to modulus relationships on the results of a finite element model of a canine forelimb. In the canine forelimb model, 836 randomly chosen nodes were selected for comparison. The cubic relationship proposed by Carter and Hayes (J. Bone & Joint Surgery, vol.59A, no.7, p.954-62, 1977) was chosen to represent the standard, as it is often used in the automatic generation of material properties in finite element models of bone. Paired t-tests compared each subsequent model to the standard. The student-Newman-Kuels multiple range test for group means was used to determine which, if any, of the results sets were statistically the same. This study showed that the results created using the eight different density to modulus relationships were significantly different from each other in all but one case.