Simulating vertebroplasty: A biomechanical challenge

Every year, 1.4 million osteoporosis‐related vertebral fractures occur worldwide, which cause about 33 % of all osteoporotic fracture‐related deaths. Vertebroplasty is a medical procedure for treating vertebral fractures, wherein a polymer called bone‐cement is injected into the porous structure inside the vertebra. The associated risk of bone‐cement leaking outside of the vertebra can be mitigated by simulating the procedure, which can help clinicians to determine the right operating parameters in advance. However, modelling this procedure is challenging as well as computationally expensive using conventional methods, due to factors like the complex geometry of the trabecular bone structure, non‐Newtonian rheology of the fluids, curing of bone‐cement, and unknown patient‐specific material properties. In this work, some of these challenges are addressed by using a multiphasic continuum approach and adapting the constitutive models accordingly. The resulting developed model provides a computationally feasible framework for simulating the spread of bone‐cement in the whole vertebra.