The potential application of functionally graded material for proximal femoral nail antirotation device

Proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) device is an intramedullary nail system designing for the treatment of trochanteric fractures. It is composed of a helical neck blade, a nail and a distal locking bolt. There were some reports of femoral shaft fractures even after the fractures were healed. The stress shielding effects of the PFNA device made of stiff titanium alloy on the bone-remodeling behavior of the host femur and the uneven distribution of interface shear stress may contribute to this complication. Recently, a new class of composite called functionally graded material (FGM) was developed, that consisted a gradual pattern of material composition and/or microstructures, and was introduced in dental implant and cementless hip stem. Accordingly, in this paper, we hypothesized that FGM might be used as the material of the nail in PFNA device with the material composition of the nail gradually shifting from more stiff at the proximal side of the femur to more flexible 'iso-elastic' towards the distal side. This hypothesis can be evaluated from the long-term remodeling behavior of host femur and the stress distributions in the PFNA device and bone.