Comparison between a two-state Markov model and intercept measurements on cancellous bone shows small-scale structural order

The processes controlling the microstructure in cancellous bone are not yet well defined, and the degree of order within the tissue is not well understood. In this study, a two-state Markov process is used to test which aspects of bone microstructure could be modelled by a very simple statistical process. The degree of order in bone tissue is assessed by measuring the differences between scanning results for actual bone tissue and those predicted by a two-state Markov process. The Markov model is shown to predict bone and marrow space length distributions not followed in reality, as revealed by trabecular width distributions. Measurements and predicted intercept distributions seem to reflect a degree of order in trabecular structure.