title: Effects of orthotopic liver transplantation in inbred rats on bone biomechanical properties.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effects of orthotopic liver transplantation in inbred rats on the mechanical properties of bones at different anatomic sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 24 rats that survived liver transplantation were paired with sham-operated rats of similar body weight. Six months after surgery, the lumbar vertebra, the proximal femur, and the middle femoral shaft were measured for their biomechanical properties and bone mineral density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ultimate force, the ultimate stress, the Young modulus and the bone mineral density of both the proximal femur and the middle femur shaft of the rats were significantly reduced in the liver transplant group. However, no significant change was observed in the various parameters that indicate the biomechanical properties and the bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebra.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Orthotopic liver transplantation impairs the biomechanical properties of the proximal femur and the middle femoral shaft. Orthotopic liver transplantation itself is one of the risk factors for posttransplant fracture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
authors.forename: Y-X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Y-T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density; D019245:Compressive Strength; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012307:Risk Factors; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength; D013997:Time Factors