BMC Seminar - Using bone mineral density for clinical assessment of bone strength

BMC Seminar Thursday, September 20th at 12:00 in room 343 Læknagarður

Speaker: Dr. Magnús Kjaran Gíslason, Assistant Professor at School of Science and Engineering, University Reykjavík.

Title: Using bone mineral density for clinical assessment of bone strength

Abstract: The mechanical strength of bones can directly be related to the three dimensional bone mineral density (BMD) distribution which can be used for clinical assessment of various patient cohorts.  Patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI) can be susceptible to fractures, which can be attributed to extensive disuse-related bone loss in previously weight-bearing long bones. As the most common fracture sites in the tibia and femur are epiphyseal, the quantification of changes in BMD and other key bone parameters after SCI has focussed on trabecular bone at these sites as well as BMD fracture thresholds based on medical imaging procedures. Using similar analysis, a clinical decision tool for categorising patients for total hip arthroplasty, is being developed. During the THA procedure, two techniques are used to fix the prosthesis to the femur, a press fitting method where the fixation is achieved through the contact forces applied between the bone and the prosthesis and on the other hand where a bone cement is used to fix the prosthesis. Long term results tend to favour the press-fitting method, but due to the high impact forces that occur when the prosthesis is hammered down the femoral canal, there is a high risk of periprosthetic fractures in patients with weaker bones. Using the BMD distribution and quantifying the mechanical strength of the bone in predefined regions can help guide the surgeon about which fixation techniques to use. In the presentation, examples will be given how the BMD distribution can be connected with findings obtained from computational models and mechanical testing of cadaveric bone.

Bio: Dr. Magnús Kjartan Gíslason obtained a C.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iceland in the year 2000 and a B.Sc. in Technical Physics from the same university the following year. In 2002 he graduated from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow with an M.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering. He finished his PhD in 2008 from the same university. His project focussed on the biomechanics of the wrist and quantifying the load distribution through the carpal bones. He became a teaching fellow at University of Strathclyde between 2009-2013, lecturing at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Since 2013 he has held the position of Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Reykjavik University. His main research interest are on biomechanics and biomaterials.