Three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis Of A New Full Meniscus Prosthesis

Background:In recent years,extensive scientific studies have confirmed the anatomical,biomechanical,and functional importance of the meniscus in the knee joint.Human meniscus injury has been a challenging problem for many years.As an important part of the joint,it plays an important role in preventing articular cartilage injury and degeneration,as well as the onset and development of knee osteoarthritis.Therefore,in the treatment of meniscus injury has been the object of special interest in orthopedic and bioengineering circles.Current treatment techniques are only effective in treating lesions located in vascularized areas around the meniscus.However,in the absence of vascularized areas,no particularly effective treatment has been established.Currently,the main treatment is meniscus suture and meniscoplasty,which usually leads to the progressive development of osteoarthritis.This shortcoming has led to a shift in research direction to biomaterials and bioengineering,with the help of which researchers hope meniscus injury can be effectively resolved.To date,different approaches and strategies have promoted the in vitro generation of meniscus structures that can be used to treat meniscus injury to some extent,both functionally and anatomically.Objective:Now we need to design a new prosthetic meniscus fitting the biological function of human meniscus,which can be used to replace the seriously injured meniscus after meniscus injury and restore the normal function of knee joint.Methods:A volunteer with no history of knee joint disease was selected and MRI data of knee joint were obtained.The finite element simulation of knee joint was carried out with related software.The axial compression load of 1150 N was used to analyze the position and force of meniscus prosthesis.Results:Under the axial compression load of 1150 N,the maximum contact compressive stress of the meniscus occurred in the inner compartment(5.10MPa),the maximum contact compressive stress of the outer compartment(2.58MPa),the maximum contact compressive stress of the tibial cartilage and the femoral cartilage were2.4MPa and 5.1MPa,respectively.Conclusion:Compared with natural meniscus,current commercial meniscus implants have related biomechanical properties problems.The main advantage of the prosthesis structure is that it can be implanted into the articular cavity of the knee in a free mode.Compared to other commercial meniscus implants,no additional fixation is required,thus preventing the failure of the prosthesis due to loosening.The biomechanics of the prosthesis is similar to that of the natural meniscus,and the structure has advantages in printability,which is beneficial for future clinical applications.