Diss. ETH No. 16223 Volumetric spatial decomposition of porous microstructures — A framework for element based analysis of trabecular bone A dissertation submitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Z¨ urich for the degree of Doctor of Science presented by Martin Stauber Dipl. Phys. ETH born 9 th October, 1974 citizen of Zetzwil AG accepted on the recommendation of Prof. Dr. Ralph M¨ uller, examiner Prof. Dr. Philippe Zysset, co-examiner 2006