A new metric for the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of bone stiffness is introduced. It is based on the spectral decomposition of stiffness matrix computed with finite element method. The here proposed metric is defined as an amplitude rescaled eigenvalues of stiffness matrix. The metric contains unique information on the principal stiffness of bone and reflects both bone shape and material properties. The metric was compared with anthropometrical measures and was tested for sex sensitivity on pelvis bone. Further, the smallest stiffness of pelvis was computed under a certain loading condition and analyzed with respect to sex and direction. The metric complements anthropometrical measures and provides a unique information about the smallest bone stiffness independent from the loading configuration and can be easily computed by state-of-the-art subject specified finite element algorithms.

Department of Anatomy Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové Charles University Šimkova 870 500 03 Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Macroscopic and Clinical Anatomy Medical University of Graz Auenbruggerpl 2 8036 Graz Austria

Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany

Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU Nöthnitzer Straße 44 01187 Dresden Germany

Institute of New Technologies and Applied Informatics Faculty of Mechatronics Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies Technical University of Liberec Studentská 1402 2 461 17 Liberec Czech Republic

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