Evaluation of PLA gyroid scaffold for long bone fracture treatment: numerical and experimental study

In the paper the load capacity and mechanoregulation properties of a 3D printed gyroid scaffold made of pure PLA implanted into the long bone defect are assessed. The constitutive law of the material is estimated based on experimental data and a finite element method (FEM) model. Within the FEM, the bone healing process is simulated, considering the biphasic nature of the tissues and making use of the Prendergast mechanoregulation theory, where the mechanical stimuli include octahedral shear strain and interstitial fluid velocity. The computations are performed in Abaqus software. It is shown that the strength of pure PLA is sufficient for the treatment of long bone fractures. The gyroid scaffold provides a low mechanical stimulus in the fracture gap and reduces adverse strain and velocity concentration between the fractured bone fragments.