In measuring bone strength, FEA integrates material and structural information from 3-D QCT to create a computer model of an individual patient's bone. That model is then subjected to virtual stresses and strains.
In vitro, FEA has been shown to predict both femoral and vertebral strength better than BMD measurements alone. But only a small number of clinical studies have been conducted.
The overall state of these promising techniques for noninvasive assessment of bone strength are useful “certainly for clinical research, certainly for clinical trials, [but] certainly not for clinical practice,” said Dr. Bouxsein.
“We don't have T scores or an absolute prediction of fracture risk. We don't yet have good evidence that we can use these to monitor therapy. We need several more years to figure out which one of these, if any, will make their way into clinical practice. [But] we've certainly learned a lot about the pathophysiology of this disease,” she added.