Effect of a cement-bone composite layer and prosthesis geometry on stresses in a prosthetically resurfaced tibia

A comparative study of stress distributions in the component materials of a number of models of a prosthetically resurfaced tibia is presented. Although the geometry is idealized to be axisymmetric, the loadings for which the finite element analyses are performed are considered to be nonaxisymmetric, simulating more realistically the loading conditions in vivo. The different models are chosen with the view of determining the influence of changes in the prosthesis design on the induced stress distribution in the component materials. The changes considered are in the thickness of the cement and the cement-bone composite layers, and in the shape of the prosthesis. Experimentally measured values of strains are compared with the analytically predicted values to check the validity of the assumptions used in the finite element modeling. The comparison of induced stresses in the different materials reveals the desirability, from a mechanical behavior point of view, of introducing a cement-bone composite layer and using a prosthesis with domed subsurface in the fixation system. It is shown that for a model incorporating these features, considerable reduction of stresses in the cement, in its bulk and at its interface with the prosthesis plate, is achieved. The reduced stresses can be expected to have beneficial effects on the long-term behavior of the cement and its interfaces in the fixation system.