Computational Modeling of Ultrasound Wave Propagation in Healing Bones

Computational studies have recently gained significant interest in engineering applications for the virtual monitoring of bone pathologies such as osteoporosis and fracture healing. Several authors have investigated numerically the role of quantitative ultrasound as a diagnostic and monitoring tool of the fracture healing process since ultrasonic techniques are non-invasive and non-ionizing means for bone assessment. During the last two decades, the development of powerful computers and simulation tools render the in silico investigation of complicated wave propagation phenomena easier and more attractive. Moreover, the availability of high-resolution images of the microstructure of bone derived from micro-computed tomography (μ-CT) and scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) has opened new horizons for the development of more realistic computational models of healing and osteoporotic bones. The scope of this paper is to present our computational approaches on ultrasound wave propagation in intact and healing long bones and thus enhance the role of ultrasound as a monitoring means of the fracture healing process.