  A preliminary iterative 3D meso-scale structural model of the femur was
developed, in which bar and shell elements were used to represent trabecular
and cortical bone respectively. The cross-sectional areas of the bar elements
and the thickness values of the shell elements were adjusted over successive
iterations of the model based on a target strain stimulus, resulting in an
optimised construct. The predicted trabecular architecture, and cortical
thickness distribution showed good agreement with clinical observations, based
on the application of a single leg stance load case during gait. The benefit of
using a meso-scale structural approach in comparison to micro or macro-scale
continuum approaches to predictive bone modelling was achievement of the
symbiotic goals of computational efficiency and structural description of the
femur.
