The deer femur – A morphological and biomechanical animal model of the human femur

BACKGROUND: The need for continued refinement of animal models in orthopaedic studies persists despite decades of research. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the merits of deer bone in comparison to the more commonly used pig and sheep bone as an animal model for the human femur. METHOD: A morphological and biomechanical comparison of deer, pig and sheep rear femurs to those of the human femur is presented. Morphological parameters measured include bone length, cortical and medullary diaphyseal diameters, cortical thickness, cortical cross-sectional area and bone density along the diaphysis. Biomechanical tests included whole-bone four-point flexure tests to determine the bending stiffness (N/mm), Young's modulus of bending (GPa), and ultimate strength in bending (MPa). In addition torsional stiffness (Nm/degree) as well as mid-diaphyseal cortical compressive elastic modulus (GPa) and strength (MPa) is investigated. RESULTS: On average, deer bone was found to be the least dissimilar from human femur. However, no single bone type consistently resembled the human femur. CONCLUSION: Deer femora should be considered a suitable animal model for the human femur.