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The use of rapid prototyped implants to simulate knee joint abnormalities for in vitro testing: a validation study
Annemieke Van Haver1, Karel De Roo2, Matthieu De Beule3
1Department of Industrial Technology and Construction, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Department of Construction and Production, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Monica Orthopaedic Research Institute (MORE Institute), Antwerp, Belgium mvhaver@hotmail.com.
Abstract:
To investigate the biomechanical effect of skeletal knee joint abnormalities, the authors propose to implant pathologically shaped rapid prototyped implants in cadaver knee specimens. This new method was validated by replacing the native trochlea by a replica implant on four cadaver knees with the aid of cadaver-specific guiding instruments. The accuracy of the guiding instruments was assessed by measuring the rotational errors of the cutting planes (on average 3.01° in extension and 1.18° in external/internal rotation). During a squat and open chain simulation, the patella showed small differences in its articulation with the native trochlea and the replica trochlea, which could partially be explained by the rotational errors of the implants. This study concludes that this method is valid to investigate the effect of knee joint abnormalities with a replica implant as a control condition to account for the influence of material properties and rotational errors of the implant.
