Enhanced model for predicting femoral fracture toughness in ovariectomized mice using Raman spectroscopy and x-ray imaging (Conference Presentation)

Fracture toughness, a bone’s resistance to breaking, is typically measured via invasive mechanical tests. In this ex vivo study on mouse femurs, four Raman spectral features associated with bone properties were significantly correlated to fracture toughness using a partial least squares regression model. By including parameters measured from dual-energy absorptiometry and micro-computed tomography in the model, fracture toughness predictions on ovariectomized mice were significantly lower than a control cohort’s. This shows that meaningful estimates of fracture toughness can be estimated using input parameters obtained non-destructively.