Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a widely used surgical procedure to restore the knee joint after cartilage disorders as osteoarthritis. During this surgical procedure, the damaged cartilage layer is removed and the bones are cut in the correct alignment. The following step is the implantation of the TKA components in the knee. One of the major causes of failure after implantation of the TKA components in the knee is aseptic loosening. Since the fixation of the implant has an important role in this aseptic loosening, it is very important to test this beforehand. Implant fixation can be modelled and tested by doing finite element simulations and cadaveric experiments. During these experiments, the loading profiles of multiple activities will be applied to 3D models of the bone and the implant.

The aim of this project is to investigate the implant fixation of a PEEK total knee arthroplasty. This is done with the development of 3D models of the knee and a PEEK knee prosthesis. To create a proper model, the implant characteristics and patient variability need to be taken into account.

Researcher for this project: Corine Post.