Bone structure and fragility fracture risk factors: a population analysis

Osteoporosis (OP) is a silent disease, characterized by a decreasing bone strength, which leads to a progressive increase in fracture risk. Mechanical properties of bone depend on both its composition and its trabecular component micro-architectural arrangement. OP diagnosis is made on the basis of bone mineral density (BMD), possibly combined with algorithms based on the clinical risk factors, e.g. FRAX®, but about half of those at risk of OP still go undetected, since their OP risk is linked to alterations of the trabecular architecture. The BESTEST® is a test based on the simulated application of loads on a virtual biopsy of the patient. Briefly, the test uses planar X-rays projections to assess the mechanical properties of the patient’s trabecular bone tissue. In this work, we aim to identify the distributions of fragility fracture risk factors in a population of female volunteers.