Fixation of intraoperative proximal femoral fractures during THA using two versus three cerclage wires - a biomechanical study.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative proximal femoral fractures (IPFF) are relevant complications during total hip arthroplasty. Fixation using cerclage wires (CW) represents a minimally-invasive technique to address these fractures through the same surgical approach. The goal of treatment is to mobilise the patient as early as possible, which requires high primary stability. This study aimed to compare different cerclage wire configurations fixing IPFF with regard to biomechanical primary stability. METHODS: Standardised IPFF (type II, Modified Mallory Classification) were created in human fresh frozen femora and were fixed either by two or three CW (1.6 mm, stainless steel). All cadaveric specimens (n = 42) were randomised to different groups (quasi-static, dynamic) or subgroups (2 CW, 3 CW) stratified by bone mineral density determined by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Using a biomechanical testing setup, quasi-static and dynamic cyclic failure tests were carried out. Cyclic loading started from 200 N to 500 N at 1 Hz with increasing peak load by 250 N every 100 cycles until failure occurred or maximum load (5250 N) reached. The change of fracture gap size was optically captured. RESULTS: No significant differences in failure load after quasi-static (p = 0.701) or dynamic cyclic loading (p = 0.132) were found between the experimental groups. In the quasi-static load testing, all constructs resisted 250% of the body weight (BW) of their corresponding body donor. In the dynamic cyclic load testing, all but one construct (treated by 3 CW) resisted 250% BW. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this in vitro data, both two and three CW provided sufficient primary stability according to the predefined minimum failure load (250% BW) to resist. The authors recommend the treatment using two CW because it reduces the risk of vascular injury and shortens procedure time.

[Scientific methods for in-vitro investigations in the field of joint kinematics : Cluster experimental joint kinematics]. / Wissenschaftliche Methoden bei In-vitro-Untersuchungen im Bereich der Gelenkkinematik : Cluster Experimentelle Gelenkkinematik.

In vitro studies are an established method to determine joint kinematics for answering preclinical questions regarding the effects of new treatment options, surgical techniques or implant designs. The lack of standardized, interdisciplinary representation in the determination of joint kinematics poses a problem. In addition to representation forms such as the "neutral-zero method" or the description of movements within the three basic planes, there are other mathematical joint-specific representations of individual working groups. The International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) has already made recommendations for standardization, but most of these cannot be implemented in biomechanical in-vitro studies. The cluster has therefore set itself the goal of standardizing in-vitro test methods in order to achieve better comparability of scientific results from different working groups.

Primary stability in locking plate fixation for proximal humeral fractures may be increased by using an additional nail osteosynthesis in combination with locking plate osteosynthesis-A biomechanical comparison.

BACKGROUND: Stability is regarded as an important factor for proper healing and avoiding secondary dislocation in osteoporotic fractures of the proximal humerus. Several surgical techniques have been proposed for treatment, including intramedullary nail osteosynthesis and locking plate fixation. This study introduces a novel approach that combines both techniques and compares its primary stability with conventional methods. METHODS: The study involved 25 osteoporotic humeri with two-part fracture models, which were randomly assigned to locking-plate fixation, intramedullary nailing, or a combination of both techniques. The specimens were subjected to sinusoidal loading at 250 N in 20° abduction for 5000 cycles and then to quasi-static loading until failure. Fracture movement, failure mode, and failure load were measured and compared among the groups. FINDINGS: The groups fixated with intramedullary nailing and the groups fixated with intramedullary nailing and locking plate fixation showed significantly lower fracture motion than the group using locking plate fixation only (p < 0.005) and significantly higher load to failure (p = 0.007 and p = 0.0062, respectively). There was no significant difference between the group using intramedullary nailing and the group using locking-plate fixation and intramedullary nailing in fracture movement or load-to-failure (p > 0.005). INTERPRETATION: The results indicate that locking plate fixation provides less primary stability than intramedullary nailing or the combined of both techniques. This combined approach may offer advantages as a treatment for complex proximal humeral fractures in osteoporotic bone, and specific implants should be developed to ensure optimal treatment.

Engineering, feasibility, and safety of force-controlled oropharyngeal swabs with a 3D-printed feedback system FCCSS (force controlled COVID-19 swab study) - a preliminary study.

Errors in laboratory diagnostics of viral infections primarily occur during the preanalytical phase, which is especially observed in sample collection. Hitherto, no efforts have been made to optimize oropharyngeal smears. An accurate method to analyze the necessary conditions for a valid oropharyngeal smear test is required, especially to avoid false negative results, which can lead to promotion of the spread of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. In this study, a maximum-force failure analysis was performed on a swab, and the highest tolerable force was then measured on 20 healthy volunteers to obtain the dimensions of the possible force to be applied on a swab. Subsequently, a device which can validate and reproducibly indicate this force during swab collection was developed. The study demonstrated that swabs generally fail at a maximum force of 5 N. Furthermore, an average force of 2.4±1.0 N was observed for the 20 volunteers. Lastly, this study described the development of a device which presents the selected force with a mean accuracy of 0.05 N (Force applied by Device 1: 0.46±0.05 N, Device 2: 1.55±0.11 N, Device 3: 2.57±0.18 N) and provides feedback via haptic and acoustic clicks as well as with a visual indicator. In the future, the swab will be analyzed for the presence of viral pathogens to determine its diagnostic performance corresponding to the force (German Clinical Trials Register Number 00024455).

Dynamic biomechanical investigation of a novel sulcus bicipitalis plate in combination with a conventional locking plate for the treatment of complex proximal humerus fractures.

BACKGROUND: Complex proximal humerus fractures place high demands on osteosynthetic treatment. In some cases, double plating has already been used to increase primary stability of the osteosynthesis. This approach was advanced in the present study by developing an additive plate for the sulcus bicipitalis. To demonstrate the superior primary stability of the newly developed plate osteosynthesis, a biomechanical comparison against a conventional locking plate with an additional calcar screw was performed. METHODS: Ten pairs of cadaveric humeri were treated proximally with a locking plate (PENTA plate small fragment, INTERCUS). Each had a two-part fracture model with a fracture gap of 10 mm. All right humeri were treated with an additive novel plate that extends along the bicipital sulcus and encircles the lesser tuberosity proximally. First, the specimens were loaded sinusoidally at 250 N in 20° abduction for 5000 cycles. Afterwards quasi-static loading until failure was applied. FINDINGS: The movement at the fracture gap due to the cyclic loading occurred mainly as rotation around the z-axis, corresponding to a tilt medially and distally. The double plate osteosynthesis reduces the rotation by approximately 39%. For all load cycles observed, except 5000 cycles, medial and distal rotation of the head was significantly reduced by the double plate. The failure loads showed no significant differences between the groups. INTERPRETATION: In the tested scenario under cyclic loading, the novel double plate osteosynthesis showed a significant superiority of primary stability over the conventional treatment with one locking plate. Furthermore, the study showed the advantages of cyclic load application over quasi-static load application until failure.

Novel approach to assessing the primary stability of dental implants under functional cyclic loading in vitro: a biomechanical pilot study using synthetic bone.

PURPOSE: This pilot study was conducted to develop a novel test setup for the in vitro assessment of the primary stability of dental implants. This was achieved by characterising their long-term behaviour based on the continuous recording of micromotions resulting from dynamic and cyclic loading. METHODS: Twenty screw implants, each 11 mm in length and either 3.8 mm (for premolars) or 4.3 mm (for molars) in diameter, were inserted into the posterior region of 5 synthetic mandibular models. Physiological masticatory loads were simulated by superimposing cyclic buccal-lingual movement of the mandible with a vertically applied masticatory force. Using an optical 3-dimensional (3D) measuring system, the micromotions of the dental crowns relative to the alveolar bone resulting from alternating off-centre loads were concurrently determined over 10,000 test cycles. RESULTS: The buccal-lingual deflections of the dental crowns significantly increased from cycle 10 to cycle 10,000 (P<0.05). The deflections increased sharply during the first 500 cycles before approaching a plateau. Premolars exhibited greater maximum deflections than molars. The bone regions located mesially and distally adjacent to the loaded implants demonstrated deflections that occurred synchronously and in the same direction as the applied loads. The overall spatial movement of the implants over time followed an hourglass-shaped loosening pattern with a characteristic pivot point 5.5±1.1 mm from the apical end. CONCLUSIONS: In synthetic mandibular models, the cyclic reciprocal loading of dental implants with an average masticatory force produces significant loosening. The evasive movements observed in the alveolar bone suggest that its anatomy and yielding could significantly influence the force distribution and, consequently, the mechanical behaviour of dental implants. The 3D visualisation of the overall implant movement under functional cyclic loading complements known methods and can contribute to the development of implant designs and surgical techniques by providing a more profound understanding of dynamic bone-implant interactions.

Recommendations for standardised screw pull-out from polyurethane foam - The influence of density variations of the test foam and the insertion method.

Insertion and pull-out tests of synthetic test material are well established for the initial laboratory evaluation of screws. However, not all test parameters are sufficiently described. The influence of small density deviations of the test material, of tapping or of manual or machine insertion has not been fully examined. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of these specimen preparation parameters on the measurement results in order to increase the reproducibility and reliability of screw pull-out tests. For this purpose, a commercial polyurethane foam and a clinically used type of screw are evaluated with insertion and pull-out tests. Within a foam apparent density grade, small deviations in apparent density led to significant and relevant differences in the measured values of insertion torque and pull-out strength. Furthermore, an influence on the measurement results was found during tapping and during manual or machine insertion of screws. For these reasons, specimens with the same apparent density should be used as far as possible and evenly distributed among the test groups. In addition, the reproducibility of the results can be increased by machine insertion of the screws.

Biomechanical testing of different fixation techniques for intraoperative proximal femur fractures: a technical note.

Intraoperative proximal femoral fractures (IPFF) represent a rare but challenging complication of total hip arthroplasties. They usually occur as a longitudinal split. This pilot trial aimed to compare the biomechanical primary stability of different fixation techniques for IPFF. Standardised longitudinal medial split fractures of the proximal femur (type II, Modified Mallory Classification) were created in artificial osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic composite femora after implantation of a cementless femoral stem. Five different fixation techniques were compared: cerclage band, cerclage wiring with one or two wires, and lag screw fixation with one or two lag screws. A quasi-static loading protocol was applied and failure loads were evaluated. The observed median failure loads were 4192N (3982N - 5189N) for one cerclage band, 4450N (3577N - 4927N) for one cerclage wire, 5016N (4175N - 5685N) for two cerclage wires, 6085N (5000N - 8907N) for one lag screw, and 4774N (4509N - 8502N) for two lag screws. Due to the wide range of failure loads within the experimental groups, there were no observable differences between the groups. All fixation techniques provided sufficient primary stability in osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic composite bones. Further cadaveric studies with larger sample sizes may be needed to confirm the results presented here.

Accuracy measurement of different marker based motion analysis systems for biomechanical applications: A round robin study.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple camera systems are widely used for 3D-motion analysis. Due to increasing accuracies these camera systems gained interest in biomechanical research areas, where high precision measurements are desirable. In the current study different measurement systems were compared regarding their measurement accuracy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Translational and rotational accuracy measurements as well as the zero offset measurements of seven different measurement systems were performed using two reference devices and two different evaluation algorithms. All measurements were performed in the same room with constant temperature at the same laboratory. Equal positions were measured with the systems according to a standardized protocol. Measurement errors were determined and compared. RESULTS: The highest measurement errors were seen for a measurement system using active ultrasonic markers, followed by another active marker measurement system (infrared) having measurement errors up to several hundred micrometers. The highest accuracies were achieved by three stereo camera systems, using passive 2D marker points having errors typically below 20 µm. CONCLUSIONS: This study can help to better assess the results obtained with different measurement systems. With the focus on the measurement accuracy, only one aspect in the selection of a system was considered. Depending on the requirements of the user, other factors like measurement frequency, the maximum analyzable volume, the marker type or the costs are important factors as well.

Quantification of assembly forces during creation of head-neck taper junction considering soft tissue bearing: a biomechanical study.

BACKGROUND: All current total hip arthroplasty (THA) systems are modular in design. Only during the operation femoral head and stem get connected by a Morse taper junction. The junction is realized by hammer blows from the surgeon. Decisive for the junction strength is the maximum force acting once in the direction of the neck axis, which is mainly influenced by the applied impulse and surrounding soft tissues. This leads to large differences in assembly forces between the surgeries. This study aimed to quantify the assembly forces of different surgeons under influence of surrounding soft tissue. METHODS: First, a measuring system, consisting of a prosthesis and a hammer, was developed. Both components are equipped with a piezoelectric force sensor. Initially, in situ experiments on human cadavers were carried out using this system in order to determine the actual assembly forces and to characterize the influence of human soft tissues. Afterwards, an in vitro model in the form of an artificial femur (Sawbones Europe AB, Malmo, Sweden) with implanted measuring stem embedded in gelatine was developed. The gelatine mixture was chosen in such a way that assembly forces applied to the model corresponded to those in situ. A study involving 31 surgeons was carried out on the aforementioned in vitro model, in which the assembly forces were determined. RESULTS: A model was developed, with the influence of human soft tissues being taken into account. The assembly forces measured on the in vitro model were, on average, 2037.2 N ± 724.9 N, ranging from 822.5 N to 3835.2 N. The comparison among the surgeons showed no significant differences in sex (P = 0.09), work experience (P = 0.71) and number of THAs performed per year (P = 0.69). CONCLUSIONS: All measured assembly forces were below 4 kN, which is recommended in the literature. This could lead to increased corrosion following fretting in the head-neck interface. In addition, there was a very wide range of assembly forces among the surgeons, although other influencing factors such as different implant sizes or materials were not taken into account. To ensure optimal assembly force, the impaction should be standardized, e.g., by using an appropriate surgical instrument.

Restricted cement augmentation in unstable geriatric midthoracic fractures treated by long-segmental posterior stabilization leads to a comparable construct stability.

The goal of this study is to compare the construct stability of long segmental dorsal stabilization in unstable midthoracic osteoporotic fractures with complete pedicle screw cement augmentation (ComPSCA) versus restricted pedicle screw cement augmentation (ResPSCA) of the most cranial and caudal pedicle screws under cyclic loading. Twelve fresh frozen human cadaveric specimens (Th4-Th10) from individuals aged 65 years and older were tested in a biomechanical cadaver study. All specimens received a DEXA scan and computer tomography (CT) scan prior to testing. All specimens were matched into pairs. These pairs were randomized into the ComPSCA group and ResPSCA group. An unstable Th7 fracture was simulated. Periodic bending in flexion direction with a torque of 2.5 Nm and 25,000 cycles was applied. Markers were applied to the vertebral bodies to measure segmental movement. After testing, a CT scan of all specimens was performed. The mean age of the specimens was 87.8 years (range 74-101). The mean T-score was - 3.6 (range - 1.2 to - 5.3). Implant failure was visible in three specimens, two of the ComPSCA group and one of the ResPSCA group, affecting only one pedicle screw in each case. Slightly higher segmental movement could be evaluated in these three specimens. No further statistically significant differences were observed between the study groups. The construct stability under cyclic loading in flexion direction of long segmental posterior stabilization of an unstable osteoporotic midthoracic fracture using ResPSCA seems to be comparable to ComPSCA.

Improvements to a method for determining leg length following total hip arthroplasty.

Discrepancy in leg length does frequently occur as a side effect of total hip arthroplasty and may lead to reduced patient satisfaction as well as injury in the sequalae. It is consequently important to reduce leg length discrepancy where-ever technically possible. This may be achieved by recording precise intraoperative measurements and using different sized implanted components. The aim of the given study was to improve the accuracy of a previously validated optic measurement system (OMS) to reduce leg length discrepancy. This pre-existing OMS was first trialled and based on these preliminary findings developed further. Using this improved system, measurements were taken in models and cadavers. Inter observer reliability of the improved OMS was assessed. The system is introduced in the given technical feasibility study. Its accuracy was greater in the model setup (swivel joint: 772.7 ± 1.5 mm; ball joint: 770.0 ± 3.7 mm; reference: 772 mm) compared to the trial using cadaveric tissues (588.8 ± 5.7 mm; reference: 586 mm). Results of two examiners were similar. The third one measured significantly shorter values (p=.011). The results of the measurements with the OMS indicate that a significant increase in accuracy (p = 2.076×10-6) has been achieved compared to the previously reported system, however, a further improvement to measurement accuracy is necessary for this to be applied clinically.

A novel micromotion measurement method to gain instructive insight into the acetabular bone-implant interface.

In total hip arthroplasty insufficient primary stability with excessive bone-implant micromotion is a major reason for aseptic loosening at the acetabular cup implant. In the literature, several methods were proposed for in vitro micromotion measurement, but none is capable of six degrees of freedom measurement at a large number of measuring points over the entire acetabular bone-implant interface, which was the aim of the current scientific work. A pin-sleeve sensor system was developed and an appropriate installing technique was incorporated. Micromotions were transmitted from the internal interface to the accessible periphery. Motion data of the sensors were optically tracked. A calculation algorithm was conceived, discretizing superimposed rotational and translational components. The method was tested and subsequently applied to a cementless revision cup implanted into an artificial hemipelvic bone featuring a typical bone defect. Using eighteen sensors in positions across the acetabular bone-implant interface, micromotion magnitudes from 59 µm ± 2 µm to 222 µm ± 5 µm were detected. Allocation of micromotion complied with case specific anticipations. The novel pin-sleeve sensors transmitted interface micromotion to the accessible periphery as desired. The measurement method enables instructive insights into three-dimensional bone-implant micromotion and may prospectively be used to evaluate different implant systems.

Verification of a novel measuring method for determining pre- and postoperative leg length in the context of total hip arthroplasty: a technical feasibility study.

Following total hip arthroplasty (THA), leg length can easily be modified, for example by different-sized endoprosthetic components. Currently, precise reconstruction depends mainly on the assessment of the surgeon. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of a new optical measuring system (OMS) using a novel measuring method capable of determining changes in leg length. Measurements with different investigators on an artificial leg and under clinical conditions were carried out. Measurements under clinical conditions were accomplished with a human body donor before and following prosthetic hip implantation. Furthermore, computed tomography (CT) was used to compare the function and the precision of the OMS relating to established measuring methods. The following results were achieved. The overall mean result of preoperative leg length determination by the OMS was 775.3 ± 5.8 mm (CT: 786.4 mm). The overall mean result of postoperative leg length determination by the OMS was 776.9 ± 10.8 mm (CT: 795.0mm). Measurements carried out showed that the novel measuring method works in principle. However, the viable prototype based on it has a lower accuracy compared to CT-based reference measurements, indicating the necessity of integrating more precise hardware.