ABSTRACT
Currently, bone mineral density (BMD) is the gold standard for the in vivo assessment of the fracture risk of bones and is measured using x-ray adsorptiometric techniques. However, only 70-80 percent of the variance of the bone strength are accounted for by bone density. As the brittleness of bone depends on more factors than bone density, biologists believe that quantitative ultrasound techniques (QUT) can provide an important new diagnostic tool. Our aim is to provide a mechanical ground for understanding the use of ultrasound methodology (Buchanan et al. 2004, Fang et al. 2007, Hackl 1998, Gilbert et al. 1998) and to begin our investigation of the dynamics of osteoporosis. To this end, the idea is to apply a homogenization multiscale FEM to the simulation of bone tissue.
