Background: Asymmetric tibial insert design is expected to restore normal knee kinematics better than symmetric design. A tri-condylar implant has asymmetric and symmetric tibial inserts with a ball-and-socket joint to replace the post-cam mechanism. The purpose of this study was to compare the knee kinematics of the two designs and to measure tibiofemoral contact stresses, including that of the ball-and-socket joint.
Methods: Using a computer simulation, the anteroposterior position and axial rotation of the femoral component were simulated during a weight-bearing deep knee bend for six validated models. Contact forces were simultaneously simulated in the medial, lateral, and ball-and-socket compartments. The relative position and the magnitude and direction of each contact force were applied to aforce/displacement control knee simulator. The contact stresses were measured individually using a pressure sensor.
Results: The asymmetric tibial insert demonstrated a more posterior position of the femoral component in the lateral compartment during the entire range of motion and greater external rotation of the femoral component, compared to the symmetrical tibial insert. The mean peak contact stress of the medial and lateral compartments was < 9 Mpa, with no significant differences between the two designs except at 0°. The contact stress of the ball-and-socket joint was < 5 MPa.
Conclusions: Asymmetry of the tibial insert shows significant kinematic difference and has little influence on the peak contact stress, which is considerably lower than the yield strength of polyethylene. The asymmetric tibial insert can lead to clinical benefits owing to its kinematic and kinetic properties.
Keywords: Computer simulation; Contact mechanics; Kinematics; Knee simulator; Total knee arthroplasty.
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