Abstract
BackgroundThe positional distribution and size of the weight-bearing area of the femoral head in the standing position as well as the direct active surface of joint force can directly affect the result of finite element (FE) stress analysis. However, the division of this area was vague, imprecise, and un-individualized in most studies related to separate FE models of the femur. The purpose of this study was to quantify the positional distribution and size of the weight-bearing area of the femoral head in standing position by a set of simple methods, to realize individualized reconstruction of the proximal femur FE model.MethodsFive adult volunteers were recruited for an X-ray and CT examination in the same simulated bipedal standing position with a specialized patented device. We extracted these image data, calculated the 2D weight-bearing area on the X-ray image, reconstructed the 3D model of the proximal femur based on CT data, and registered them to realize the 2D weight-bearing area to 3D transformation as the quantified weight-bearing surface. One of the 3D models of the proximal femur was randomly selected for finite element analysis (FEA), and we defined three different loading surfaces and compared their FEA results.ResultsA total of 10 weight-bearing surfaces in 5 volunteers were constructed, and they were mainly distributed on the dome and anterolateral of the femoral head with a crescent shape, in the range of 1218.63–1,871.06 mm2. The results of FEA showed that stress magnitude and distribution in proximal femur FE models among three different loading conditions had significant differences, and the loading case with the quantized weight-bearing area was more in accordance with the physical phenomenon of the hip.ConclusionThis study confirmed an effective FE modeling method of the proximal femur, which can quantify the weight-bearing area to define a more reasonable load surface setting without increasing the actual modeling difficulty.
Highlights
finite element (FE) technology plays an important role in digital orthopedic researches
The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of using a set of simple methods to reconstruct the individualized proximal femur FE model with a quantifiable weight-bearing area of the femoral head in standing position, and provide a design idea of quantitative analysis for more accurate FE study
Stress magnitude and distribution The results of finite element analysis (FEA) showed that stress magnitude and distribution of proximal femur FE models in A, B, and C three different loading conditions had significant differences
Summary
FE technology plays an important role in digital orthopedic researches. Among them, as the largest weightbearing joint in the human body, hip joint-related FEA study has always been the research focus [1]. We established the standing hip model to perform mechanical research and recognized that in the standing position, the contact area as well as the weight-bearing area of the femoral head as the direct active surface of the joint force, its positional distribution and size can directly affect the stress distribution of the femoral head [3]. The positional distribution and size of the weight-bearing area of the femoral head in the standing position as well as the direct active surface of joint force can directly affect the result of finite element (FE) stress analysis. The purpose of this study was to quantify the positional distribution and size of the weight-bearing area of the femoral head in standing position by a set of simple methods, to realize individualized reconstruction of the proximal femur FE model
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