Hyperelastic meniscal material characterization via inverse parameter identification for knee arthroscopic...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Biomaterials
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Understanding meniscus mechanics is crucial for sports medicine, surgical simulation, and implant design.
• Accurate material models and parameters are key to assessing meniscus degeneration.
• Patient-specific parameters can enhance knee arthroscopy simulations and intraoperative decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify hyperelastic material parameters of individual human menisci using an inverse parameter identification approach.
• To demonstrate real-time interactive surgical simulation utilizing the identified parameters.

Main Methods:

• Mechanical indentation tests were performed on anterior, mid-body, and posterior regions of human menisci.
• Region-specific finite element (FE) models incorporating collagen fiber orientation were developed.
• Anisotropic hyperelastic material parameters were optimized using particle swarm optimization and inverse parameter identification.

Main Results:

• Optimized parameters revealed subject-specific, anatomical, and regional variations in meniscus properties.
• The anterior region of the medial meniscus showed a high shear modulus (0.76 ± 0.28 MPa at 1 mm indentation).
• Shear modulus increased with indentation depth (p<0.05, except for the medial meniscus mid-body).

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified subject-specific meniscal material parameters.
• Real-time probe-meniscus interaction was demonstrated in arthroscopic simulations using SOFA (Simulation Open Framework Architecture).
• These findings support improved intraoperative decision-making in knee arthroscopy.