Biomechanical Analysis of Ligament Modelling Techniques and Femoral Component Malrotation Following TKA
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that satisfaction and revision rates following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are lower than those of comparable surgeries such as total hip replacements. A leading cause for these revisions is joint instability which may be due to improper ligament balancing or poorly aligned surgical implants. One of the methods used to investigate biomechanical forces and kinematics is computational modelling of the post-operative TKA knee.
A unique knee model was used to investigate the biomechanical and kinematic effects of ligament model complexity, as well as the effects of simulating ligament wrapping versus ignoring ligament wrapping. We then used these ligament models to investigate the biomechanical effects of femoral implant malalignment. Our results show no discernable differences in kinematics due to ligament complexity or ligament wrapping except during specific loading scenarios. We also observed that an externally rotated femoral implant results in a more varus knee with lower medial collateral ligament tension compared to the TKA knee with a neutrally aligned femoral implant.