Simulation of tissue differentation during fracture healing

Abstract

Fracture healing is a complex biological process during which, repair of the damaged tissues occurs so efficiently that the initial strength and anatomy of the bone are restored. Mechanical loading is believed to greatly influence the extent to which repair is accelerated or delayed. An iterative algorithm based on a mechano-regulation concept was developed to simulate tissue differentiation during fracture healing. It is based on the calculation of two mechanical stimuli, octahedral shear strain and fluid flow, using a poroelastic finite element model. Proliferation of progenitor cells was accounted for. Depending on cell concentration and on predicted mechanical stimuli, cell differentiation was simulated for various fracture healing cases. Cell origin, load magnitude, fracture gap size, bending load, fracture type and a realistic 3D model were investigated.