Modeling the Mechanobiology of the Periosteum to Predict & Harness its Regenerative Capacity

Both in the presence and absence of morcellized bone graft within the defect zone, histomorphometric studies show that the region of bone most resistant to bending, i.e. the major centroidal axis (CA), exhibits the greatest area of new bone apposition at early time points after surgery. In contrast, the region of bone least resistant to bending, i.e. the minor CA, shows the highest density of new bone laid down during the same period (2,3). The aim of the current study is to model the mechanobiology of the periosteum-enveloped defect zone to predict and harness the proven regenerative capacity of the periosteum to infill defects within two weeks of surgery. Experimental, high resolution strain mapping has shown that generation of bone in the defect correlates to regions where the periosteum experiences the greatest net change in strain between pre- surgical strains and post-surgical strains (4). Therefore, we hypothesize that areas of the defect zone predicted to experience the greatest changes in strain will colocalize with those areas observed histologically to have the most early bone apposition after surgery. METHODS