Periprosthetic bone remodelling in total knee arthroplasty

The clinical studies have shown that the displacement of the prosthesis components, especially of the tibial one is higher during the first year, after which it reaches an equilibrum position compatible with a good long term functioning. This displacement takes place due to bone remodelling close to the implant secondary to different loading concentrations over different areas of bone.

Our study implies a simulation on a computational model using the finite element analysis. The simulation started taking into account arbitrary points because of non-linear conditions of bone-prosthesis interface and it was iterative.. A hundred consecutive situations corresponding to intermediate bone remodelling phases have been calculated according to given loadings. Bone remodelling was appreciated as a function of time and bone density for each constitutive element of the computational model created by finite element method. For each constitutive element a medium value of stress during the walking cycle was applied.

Analyse of proximal epiphysis-prosthesis complex slices showed that bone density increase is maintained all over the stem in the immediately post-operative period. At 10 months, the moment considered to be the end of bone remodelling, areas with increased bone density are fewer and smaller. Meanwhile, their distribution with a concentration toward the internal compartment in the distal metaphysis is preserved.

After the total knee arthroplasty the tibial bone suffered a process of remodelling adapted to the new stress conditions. This bone remodelling can influence, sometimes negatively, especially in the cases with tibial component varus malposition, the fixation, respectively the survival of the prosthesis. This process has been demonstrated both by clinical trials and by simulation, using the finite elements method of periprosthetic bone remodelling.