Evaluation of Hydrogel Flow into Osteoporotic Trabecular Bone: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study

There is significant potential in the treatment of osteoporosis using hydrogels tissue scaffolds impregnated with cells, growth factors and antibiotics. However, the delivery of hydrogel into the bone is yet to be developed. Non-invasive delivery is desirable for both patients and healthcare systems. Aim: evaluate hydrogel flow mechanisms and how that can affect the bone structure as well as the impregnated cells to begin the understanding of injection delivery. Methods: hydrogel flow dynamics are investigated using a linear laminar flow computational fluid dynamics model. Three cases with different Reynold’s (Re) numbers were simulated and trabecular bone wall shear stress, and hydrogel flow velocity were extracted to evaluate bone/cell damage and velocity profile. Results: higher Re number which is proportional to higher inlet velocity is associated with higher bone wall shear stress, and hydrogel pressure. Although the shear stress and pressure do not pose any risk regarding the bone structure, the cell viability is compromised in the case of Re = 6. Conclusions: the outcome of this study provides insights that will contribute to the design of a hydrogel injection procedure. Further work is needed to improve the model to further inform hydrogel delivery mechanisms.