A study on biomechanical changes in the patellofemoral joint after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty
Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical changes in the patellofemoral joint after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty(UKA)using finite element analysis.Methods:A patient with medial compartment osteoarthritis underwent a computed tomography(CT)scan of the knee joint.Using the CT scan data of the knee joint and the three-dimensional scan data of the unicondylar knee prosthesis,three-dimensional finite element models of both the normal knee joint and the knee joint after UKA were constructed.Changes in stress within the patellofemoral joint during knee flexion and extension before and after UKA were analyzed using dynamic finite element analysis.Results:At flexion angles of 0°and 30°,there was no statistically significant difference in patellar contact stress before and after UKA(both P>0.05).However,when the flexion angle was 60° or 90°,the post-UKA patellar contact stress was significantly lower than pre-UKA levels(both P<0.05).Conclusions:UKA can reduce patellofemoral joint stress during knee flexion,and can be applied in the treatment of patients with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis complicated with patellofemoral joint damage.
Unicompartmental Knee ArthroplastyFinite Element AnalysisKnee Joint