Osteoporosis causes frequently bone compressive fracture at the vertebrae as a representative complication. To strengthen osteoporosis vertebra, drug therapy are often treated in clinic. It is important to evaluate mechanical strength and betterment of bone fracture risk of vertebra in this treatment process. To estimate them noninvasively in detail, patient-specific mechanical analysis is necessary because mechanical strength of vertebra depends on patient-specific factors, which are shape, cortical thickness, density distribution of cancellous, and so on. In our previous study, finite-element (FE) models derived from CT images gave us good prediction of vertebral strength, and effect of treatment was demonstrated clearly. In this study, FE analysis for predicting force value occurring bone fracture of 4 osteoporosis vertebrae was also performed following drug treatment process over time. Availability of evaluation method of vertebral strength using bone fracture analysis was discussed.
