Regional Variations in Shear Strength and Density of the Human Thoracic Vertebral Endplate and Trabecular Bone.

Background: Previous studies investigated the overall mechanical strength of the vertebral body; however, limited information is available on the biomechanical properties of different regions within the vertebral endplate and cancellous bone. In addition, the correlation between mechanical strength and various density measurements has not been studied yet.

Methods: Thoracic (T10) vertebrae were harvested from fifteen human cadaveric spines (average age: 77 years old).