Abstract
The assessment of the distribution of contact pressure on the meniscus is important in the elucidation of kinematics, etiology of joint diseases, and establishment of treatment methods. Compared with sensors widely used in recent years, pressure-sensitive conductive rubber sensors are easy to mold, flexible, durable, and resistant to shearing forces. This study is aimed at developing a rubber sensor for meniscal research and evaluating the pressure distribution after meniscal injury using porcine models. After confirming the reliability of the rubber sensor, contact pressure was obtained from the rubber sensor using the medial meniscus and femur of the porcine knee. Three test conditions of intact meniscus, radial tear, and meniscectomy were prepared, and a compressive load of 100 N was applied. After confirming the high reliability of the rubber sensor, the intact meniscus had the most uniform pressure distribution map, while the pressure in the meniscectomy model was concentrated in the resection region. The high-pressure region was significantly smaller in the intact group than in the radial tear models after 80 and 100 N (P < 0.05). The rubber sensor captured the pressure concentration specific to each examination group and was useful for evaluating the relationship between the pattern of meniscal injury and changes in the biomechanical condition of the knee.
Highlights
The role of the meniscus in load transmission and shock absorption is widely recognized [1,2,3,4]
The assessment of the distribution of contact pressure in the menisci is important for elucidating the kinematics and the etiology and treatment of joint diseases
This study is aimed at developing a novel pressuresensitive conductive rubber sensor and evaluating the pressure dispersion after meniscal injury in porcine models
Summary
The role of the meniscus in load transmission and shock absorption is widely recognized [1,2,3,4]. The Tekscan pressure-sensitive film sensor (Tekscan Inc., Boston, MA, USA) [3, 9,10,11] or a pressure-sensitive paper (Prescale, Fuji Film, Tokyo, Japan) [12,13,14] has been widely used to measure the contact pressure in human or large-animal knee joint, and the function of menisci has been clarified. These sensors are unsuitable for use in areas where shear forces are applied, and use in heavily deformed contact surfaces causes wrinkling of the film. It is difficult to evaluate pressure-sensitive paper because the pressure distribution is represented by gradients of a single color, and it is necessary to replace the sensor for each test [15]
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