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Quantifying the competing relationship between durability and kinematics of total knee replacements using
1Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of Biomechanics
|October 28, 2011
Summary
The study confirms a trade-off between durability and kinematics in total knee replacement (TKR) design. Optimizing one measure necessitates sacrificing the other, a relationship quantified for the first time using multiobjective design optimization.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Computational Mechanics
Background:
- Total knee replacement (TKR) implant design requires balancing durability and kinematics.
- A hypothesized competing relationship between TKR durability and kinematics has not been systematically quantified.
- Previous TKR designs have not simultaneously optimized for both critical performance measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the competing relationship between durability and kinematics in TKR implant design.
- To utilize multiobjective design optimization (MOO) to identify Pareto-optimal TKR designs.
- To generate a durability-versus-kinematics Pareto curve for TKR implants.
Main Methods:
- Employed multiobjective design optimization (MOO) with the adaptive weighted sum (AWS) method.
- Integrated previously validated numerical simulations and a parametric modeller.
- Generated a Pareto curve illustrating the trade-off between durability and kinematics.
Main Results:
- A kinematics-optimized design improved kinematics by 61.8% compared to a durability-optimized design.
- A durability-optimized design improved durability by 70.6% compared to a kinematics-optimized design.
- A balanced trade-off was achieved with equal weighting, but extreme weighting led to significant sacrifices.
Conclusions:
- The competing relationship between TKR durability and kinematics is confirmed and quantified.
- Optimization methods provide a systematic approach to understanding design trade-offs.
- Findings can inform future TKR and other total joint replacement designs.