SUTD: Karupppasamy Subburaj, D. Praveen Anitha
TUM: Jan S. Kirschke, Thomas Baum
This enables more accurate patient-specific analysis in a non-invasive manner, providing timely opportunities for early treatment.
Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) are a prevalent skeletal condition in the elderly, which occurs due to a net loss in bone density with the inevitable onset of aging. Unfortunately, they are largely under-diagnosed until detected by clinicians through radiological scans. These fractures have a huge impact on daily lifestyle as the spine is responsible for bodily movements and stability. However, the mechanism behind these fractures remain unclear due to the complex physiological interplay between spinal segments. As such, the fractures are asymptomatic and not clinically noticed until it is sustained by patients.

Schematic workflow illustrating methodology from acquisition of images to finite element (FE) modelling of the functional spinal units (FSUs).
You can find more details at https://www.sutd.edu.sg/Research/Research-News/2019/12/SUTD-novel-methodology-predict-spinal-fractures