Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease, affecting approximately one third of people over the age of 45. Whilst the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease are still not well understood, mechanics play an important role in both the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis. In this study, we demonstrate the application of stepwise compression, combined with microCT imaging and digital volume correlation (DVC) to measure and evaluate full-field strain distributions within osteoarthritic femoral heads under uniaxial compression. A comprehensive analysis showed that the microstructural features inherent in OA bone did not affect the level of uncertainties associated with the applied methods. The results illustrate the localization of strains at the loading surface as well as in areas of low bone volume fraction and subchondral cysts. Trabecular thickness and connectivity density were identified as the only microstructural parameters with any association to the magnitude of local strain measured at apparent yield strain or the volume of bone exceeding yield strain. This work demonstrates a novel approach to evaluating the mechanical properties of the whole human femoral head in case of severe OA.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease affecting synovial joints, encompassing the synovial membrane, synovial fluid, subchondral bone, cartilage, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments [1].OA most commonly affects the middle age to elderly population, with approximately one third of people in the UK, over the age of 45 years (875 million people) seeking treatment for OA [2]
The femoral neck portion was potted in a 6 mm thick PMMA baseplate and a 6 mm top-plate was created that conformed to the superior surface of the femoral head (2–4 mm deep) to ensure an even application of the load
Parafilm was placed between the embedding material and the femoral head to ensure that the specimen did not adhere to the top plate whilst the resin set
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease affecting synovial joints, encompassing the synovial membrane, synovial fluid, subchondral bone, cartilage, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments [1]. OA most commonly affects the middle age to elderly population, with approximately one third of people in the UK, over the age of 45 years (875 million people) seeking treatment for OA [2]. In the UK alone, approximately 97,000 primary hip replacements were performed in 2019, over 90% of which were for the indication of OA [3] illustrating the significant burden OA plays in society. Whilst the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease are still not well understood, mechanics plays a role in the initiation, progression, and successful treatment of OA [4,5]. Which specific mechanical parameters are most important and what their impact is on the disease process are still not well understood
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