Influence of conformity on the wear of total knee replacement: An experimental study.

Wear of total knee replacement continues to be a significant factor influencing the clinical longevity of implants. Historically, failure due to delamination and fatigue directed design towards more conforming inserts to reduce contact stress. As new generations of more oxidatively stable polyethylene have been developed, more flexibility in bearing design has been introduced. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of insert conformity on the wear performance of a fixed bearing total knee replacement through experimental simulation. Two geometries of insert were studied under standard gait conditions. There was a significant reduction in wear with reducing implant conformity. This study has demonstrated that bearing conformity has a significant impact on the wear performance of a fixed bearing total knee replacement, providing opportunities to improve clinical performance through enhanced material and design selection.

全膝关节置换的磨损仍然是影响植入物临床使用寿命的一个重要因素。从历史上看，由于分层和疲劳导致的失效促使设计朝着更贴合的衬垫方向发展，以降低接触应力。随着新一代更具氧化稳定性的聚乙烯的研发，在关节面设计上有了更多的灵活性。本研究的目的是通过实验模拟来研究衬垫贴合度对固定承重全膝关节置换磨损性能的影响。在标准步态条件下对两种几何形状的衬垫进行了研究。随着植入物贴合度的降低，磨损显著减少。这项研究表明，关节面贴合度对固定承重全膝关节置换的磨损性能有重大影响，为通过优化材料和设计选择来提高临床性能提供了机会。