Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2025

Individualized Stem-positioning in Calcar-guided Short-stem Total Hip Arthroplasty
Published on: February 27, 2018
Comparison of Early Postoperative Stress Distribution around Short and Tapered Wedge Stems in Femurs with Different
Tsuguaki Hosoyama1, Nobuhiro Kaku1, Jonas A Pramudita2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan.
Backgroud:
In total hip arthroplasty (THA), the ideal stem length remains uncertain; different stem lengths are used in different cases or institutions. We aimed to compare the stress distributions of cementless tapered wedges and short stems in femurs with different femoral marrow geometries and determine the appropriate fit.
Methods:
Finite element models were created and analyzed using HyperMesh and LS-DYNA R11.1, respectively. The 3-dimensional shape data of the femurs were extracted from computed tomography images using the RETOMO software. Femurs were divided into 3 groups based on the Dorr classification. The computer-aided design data of cementless tapered wedge-type and short stems were used to select the appropriate size. In the finite element analysis, the loading condition of the femur was assumed to be walking. Volumes of interest (VOIs) were placed within the femur model at the internal and external contact points of the stem based on Gruen zones. The average stresses and strain energy density (SED) of the elements included in each VOI were obtained from the preoperative and postoperative models.
Results:
The von Mises stress and SED distributions of the cementless tapered wedge and short stems were similar in their respective Dorr classifications. In both stems, the von Mises stress and SED after THA were lower than before THA. The von Mises stress and SED of the cementless tapered wedge stem were higher than those of short stems. Cementless tapered wedge-type stems tended to have lower rates of change than short stems; however, Dorr C exhibited the opposite trend. In the Dorr classification comparison, the von Mises stress and SED were greater for both stems in the order of Dorr C > Dorr B > Dorr A, from Zone 2 to Zone 6.
Conclusions:
In Dorr A and B, the short stem exhibited a natural stress distribution closer to the preoperative femur than the tapered wedge stem; however, in Dorr C, the short stem may have a greater effect on stress distribution, suggesting that it may cause greater effects, such as fracture in the early postoperative period, than other Dorr types.
More Related Videos
08:04Proximal Cadaveric Femur Preparation for Fracture Strength Testing and Quantitative CT-based Finite Element Analysis
Published on: March 11, 2017
11:28A Coupled Experiment-finite Element Modeling Methodology for Assessing High Strain Rate Mechanical Response of Soft Biomaterials
Published on: May 18, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Flexural Stress
Hooke's Law states that within the material's elastic limits, stress is directly proportional to strain. In a member experiencing a bending moment, the strain at any point is relative to...
Bending of Members Made of Several Materials
Hooke's Law determines stress in each material, stating that stress is proportional to strain but varies due to each...
Stresses under Combined Loadings
The process begins by slicing the tube at critical points and analyzing the internal forces and stress components at these sections, focusing on the centroid. Normal stresses, generated by axial forces and bending moments, are either compressive or tensile and vary across the section from...
Plastic Deformations of Members with a Single Plane of Symmetry
Transformation of Plane Stress
Stress Concentrations in Circular Shafts