Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of the Effect Of Rotation During Reaming into the Intramedullary Canal of a Long Bone

Abstract

The penetration of the reamer into the medullary cavity can be compared to a piston entering a cylinder filled with viscous fluid. When the flutes of the reamer are clogged with bone debris, fat and mar- row, the piston effect is magnified and larger pressures are usually obtained. This paper considers a reamer with clogged flutes and investigates whether the rota- tion speed of the reamer has a significant influence on the pressure within the intramedullary cavity. The ef- fect of reamer rotation speed on the pressure distribution withintheboneisinvestigatednumericallybysolvingthe full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations together with the continuityequation by means of a finite element technique. The model shows that as the rotation speed is increased for a reamer with clogged flutes, the pressure within the intramedullary canal does not exhibit a signif- icant increase. keyword: Intramedullary reaming, Porous Media, FI- DAP computer model, Fat Embolism.