Fracture toughness of cancellous iliac bone.

Background: Cancellous bone mechanical properties are directly linked to structural integrity, which is a result of bone quantity, the quality of its bone matrix, and its microarchitecture. Several studies highlighted the bone behavior under specific loads, contributing to understanding risk factors and developing more effective therapeutic strategies. The anatomy and stability of iliac bone fractures, providing insight into pelvic trauma management.

Aim: To evaluate the anisotropic behavior of fracture toughness of porcine iliac bone.

Methods: Longitudinal and transversal specimens from pork iliac bone were cut and tested in three-point bending fixtures at room temperature, in order to determine the fracture toughness of the cancellous iliac bone.

Results: The tests on the entire iliac bone reveal a brittle behavior. The tests on notched specimens cut on longitudinal and transversal directions show different fracture toughness values. Also, a brittle behavior occurs. The obtained results are at the lower limit of other fracture toughness results of cancellous bones.

Conclusion: Our results point out the anisotropic behavior of the cancellous iliac bone. Higher fracture toughness values were obtained in the longitudinal direction comparing with the transversal direction with 36.5 %.