Skeletalvolumens

Skeletalvolumens is a term used in biomechanics to denote a family of quantitative measures that describe how bone tissue occupies space within the skeleton. A skeletalvolumen refers to the volume of osseous tissue within a defined region of interest, as determined from medical imaging. The collection of regional skeletalvolumens can be summed to a total skeletalvolumen for the whole skeleton, or analyzed separately to study regional distribution.

Measurement and computation: Skeletalvolumens are typically derived from high-resolution CT or MRI data. After segmentation that discriminates cortical from trabecular bone and excludes non-bone tissues, voxel counts are converted to volumes. Regional skeletalvolumens are reported for anatomical subunits such as the spine, pelvis, limbs, or rib cage. Ratios such as cortical skeletalvolumen fraction, or trabecular skeletalvolumen density (volume per region) can be used to compare specimens.

Applications: The concept is used in research on skeletal development, aging, osteoporosis, and orthopedic implant design. Because skeletalvolumen captures spatial distribution of bone, it complements bone mineral density and geometric indices in finite element models and load-bearing assessments. Paleontologists may use aggregated skeletalvolumens to infer body mass and locomotor mechanics in fossils.

Limitations and standardization: Skeletalvolumen measurements depend on image resolution, segmentation methods, and region definitions, which vary across studies. There is no universally accepted standard for regional boundaries or naming conventions at present.

See also: bone volume, bone mineral density, cortical thickness, bone geometry, finite element analysis.