Hierarchical Structure of Porosity in Cortical and Trabecular Bones
ABSTRACTIn this paper the amount and morphology of cortical and trabecular bone porosities were estimated using optical microscopy and micro-computed tomography technique. The hierarchical structure of porosity at different structural scales spanning from a single lacuna (sub-microscale) to trabecular or cortical bone levels (mesoscale) was characterized and described. This study was conducted by using samples of untreated, deproteinized and demineralized bones, to obtain better insight into the bone structure and porosities. The motivation of this work is that the porosity in bone has a major effect on its mechanical response, yet it is often neglected in bone models. Investigations of the mechanical properties of bone and its main components (collagen and mineral phases), complemented by modeling, are of importance in orthopedics.