Comparison of mechanical behaviour of normal and scoliotic vertebral segment: a preliminary numerical approach

Abstract

Specific behaviour of the scoliotic spine has already been proven. The aim of this preliminary study is to evaluate if this behaviour is mainly due to geometrical deformities or to mechanical characteristics of soft tissues. We use a kriging technique to obtain a personalized finite element model of scoliotic spine from 3D reconstructions and from an existing detailed model of normal spine. To evaluate if deformed geometry has a share in specific behaviour of scoliotic spine, numerical simulations were performed on an apical segments extracted from normal and scoliotic models and the results were compared. Average mechanical properties of normal spine were considered in both models.