• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1995 no.11
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• pp.34-38
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• 1995

Using a 3-D finite element method (FEM), the biomechanical characteristics of a threaded truncated acetabular component and a porous coated hemispherical acetabular component were studied. The Von-Mises stress/strain patterns in the acetabulum reconstructed with these two different types of cementless acetabular cups were investigated. The geometry and dimensions of human hemi-pelvis used in the present shape modeling for finite element analysis were scanned with a 3-D laser scanner(TDS-9000, Cyberware, USA). The scanned data was numerically handled with a shape modelling software 'Pro-Engineer'. Using 19836, 16853 tetrahedral elements, respectively, the stress and displacement field of the acetabulum reconstructed with the two different types of the acetabular components were computed. While the hemi-sphere component was found to show a relatively similar stress/strain patterns to those in the normal hip, the results with the threaded cup showed a considerably different patterns from those in the normal condition. Several regions in cancellous bone near the threads and the edge of the truncated cup was found to be overstressed, especially in the superior-lateral part of the acetabulum. It was postulated that the excessive reaming-out of subchondral bone layer when the truncated cup was used can cause the presence of these overstressed regions of cancellous bone. This theoretical prediction for the implanted acetabulum appeared to consistent with the pathological observation of proximal/medial migration of the threaded truncated acetabular prostheses in the previous publications.