SUBJECT-SPECIFIC MODELING OF THE ADAPTATION OF THE SCAPULA BONE TISSUE

The morphology and microstructure of bone tissue is, at least partially, determined by the mechanical loads it experiences. Joint replacement surgeries on the shoulder joint are general practice in orthopaedic surgery. The fixation of these implants depends strongly on the bone stock of the shoulder blade (the scapula), which is often diminished. More knowledge with respect to the relationship between scapula muscle loading and the consequences for its bone stock could therefore be helpful. A few numerical models of bone adaptation of the shoulder blade have recently become available. Detailed loading estimates of the shoulder are currently available through a largescale musculoskeletal model of the shoulder and elbow, namely Delft Shoulder and Elbow Model (DSEM) [van der Helm, 1994]. The aim of the present study is to determine the bone density distribution in the scapula from a bone adaptation model that uses the loads estimated by DSEM. Subsequently, this predicted bone density will be related to the density distribution measured using computed tomography (CT), thereby corroborating the applied model.