The Influence of Bone Mineral Density on Pelvic Fracture Load and Compression in Lateral Impact

Pelvic injuries due to lateral motor vehicle crashes continue to be a source of morbidity and mortality for accident victims as well as a serious problem for trauma surgeons and automotive safety engineers. In the present study, we sought to further explore the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) measurements in the hip and pelvic fracture load and compression. We conducted experimental side impacts on intact lower torsos of female cadavers, building upon our previous work conducted on isolated bone-ligament structures. Significant linear relationships between pelvic fracture load/compression and total hip BMD emerged as further evidence that total hip bone mineral density may be a useful predictor of pelvic fracture risk. The presence of soft tissues increased resulting pelvic fracture loads as compared to those found in our previous isolated pelvic impacts.