Elsevier

Bone Reports

Volume 12, June 2020, 100260
Bone Reports

Theoretical concept of cortical to cancellous bone transformation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bonr.2020.100260Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • A novel theoretical concept to account for cortical-to-cancellous bone transformation is proposed.

  • A remodeling model to reproduce cortical and cancellous bone microstructures is developed.

  • The remodeling simulation replicates cortical-to-cancellous bone transformation.

  • The proposed method is valuable in clinical applications such as in predicting age-related cortical bone loss.

Abstract

Microstructures of cortical and cancellous bones are altered continually by load-adaptive remodeling; in addition, their cellular mechanisms are similar despite the remarkably different porosities. The cortico-cancellous transitional zone is a site of vigorous remodeling, and intracortical remodeling cavitates the inner cortex to promote its trabecularization, which is considered the main cause of bone loss because of aging. Therefore, to prevent and treat age-related cortical bone loss effectively, it is indispensable to gain an integrated understanding of the cortical to the cancellous bone transformation via remodeling. We propose a novel theoretical concept to account for the transformation of dense cortical bone to porous cancellous bone. We develop a mathematical model of cortical and cancellous bone remodeling based on the concept that bone porosity is determined by the balance between the load-bearing function of mineralized bone and the material-transporting function of bone marrow. Remodeling simulations using this mathematical model enable the reproduction of the microstructures of cortical and cancellous bones simultaneously. Furthermore, current remodeling simulations have the potential to replicate cortical-to-cancellous bone transformation based on changes in the local balance between bone formation and resorption. We anticipate that the proposed mathematical model of cortical and cancellous bone remodeling will contribute to highlighting the essential features of cortical bone loss due to trabecularization of the cortex and help predict its spatial and temporal behavior during aging.

Keywords

Cortical bone
Cancellous bone
Cortical-to-cancellous bone transformation
Remodeling simulation
Mathematical model

Cited by (0)