JRPMS Vol 5, No 4, December 2021, p.126-133
doi: 10.22540/JRPMS-05-126
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Review Article
The contribution of finite element analysis (FEA) in the assessment of pharmacological therapy outcomes in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis: a literature review
Ilias Rotziokos
- Radiologist, Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Keywords: Finite Element Analysis, Osteoporosis, Treatment
Abstract
The finite element analysis (FEA), is an engineering computational method of mechanical analysis for complicated structure and it has been employed for the study of the mechanics of human bone. QCT (Quantitative computed tomography) offers three-dimensional data concerning the geometry of bone and how the bone mineral is allocated in terms of space. Depictions acquired with quantitative CT can be utilized to create FE (finite element) models, which enable the analysis of how strong the bone is and how the mechanical stress is distributed, as well as the physical distortion. This methodology can be applied so that the various mechanical loading scenarios can be investigated (stance and fall arrangements) and for the estimation of the entire strength of the bone and the proportional mechanical assistance of bone parts. In this review we research the published literature concerning the effects of various pharmacological agents on parameters of bone strength as measured by FEA in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. After selection based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria we evaluated 17 original articles on various pharmacological agents (bisphosphonates, denosumab, teriparatide, PTH 1-84, romosozumab). Although not many studies are currently available an increased value of FEA is definitively seen.