Biomechanical analysis of the effect of medial meniscus degenerative and traumatic lesions on the knee joint

American Journal of Translational Research

Longfei Yang¹  Liya Zhu²  Kaijia Zhang³  Lan Li⁴  Jianping Shi⁵  Xianfeng Yang⁶ 

[1] Department of Radiology, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China;Institute of Medical 3D Printing, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China;School of Electrical and Automation Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China;School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, China;School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China;State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Sports Medicine and Adult Reconstructive Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

关键词: Meniscus tear;    finite element simulation;    biomechanics;    osteoarthritis;    knee joint;   

DOI  :  

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: e-Century Publishing Corporation

【 摘 要 】

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the degenerative medial meniscus and traumatic lesions on the biomechanical behavior of the knee. An elaborate three-dimensional (3D) finite element model of the total knee joint containing bones, articular cartilages, main ligaments, and menisci was developed from a combination of magnetic resonance images and computed tomography. Three types of meniscus tears were employed to represent the degenerative and traumatic lesions. The stress and meniscus extrusion of healthy and injured knees were investigated under the posture of static stance. The traumatic longitudinal tear demonstrated the highest stress and the largest meniscus extrusion displacement. The degenerative horizontal and peripheral tears also showed an irregular biomechanical balance in the knee joint. Despite the damaged hemijoint, the stress on the healthy lateral hemijoint was increased. Although the biomechanics was deteriorated in all meniscus tear models, the variation degree was diverse. The transfixion damage could potentially cause future injury in the knee joint and accelerate the progress of osteoarthritis. Moreover, the meniscus injury may cause high-stress concentration on the contralateral side of the joint. The current results revealed the cause of different clinical manifestation after meniscus tears and the risk of knee osteoarthritis through biomechanical aspects.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC