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Biomechanical analysis of the effects of medial meniscectomy on degenerative osteoarthritis

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Abstract

To investigate the effects of meniscectomy on degenerative osteoarthritis, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of the human lower limb is constructed from a combination of magnetic resonance (MR) images and computed tomographic (CT) images that can provide anatomically suitable boundary conditions for a knee joint. Four cases, i.e., the intact meniscus, and the partial, sub-total, and total meniscectomy of the medial meniscus are modeled and simulated. We consider that the cartilage-to-cartilage contact area and the peak contact pressure in the meniscus may be significant parameters in evaluating degenerative osteoarthritis. Partial meniscectomy can be regarded as a better treatment than sub-total/total meniscectomy, and a high possibility of degenerative osteoarthritis is anticipated after total meniscectomy. Moreover, medial meniscectomy has the potential to bring about degenerative osteoarthritis in both the medial compartment and the lateral compartment of a knee joint.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Nuclear R&D Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology of the Korean government (No. 2009-0093620).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-757, Republic of Korea

    Ji Yong Bae & Insu Jeon

  2. The Center for Joint Disease, Hwasun Hospital, Chonnam National University, 160 Ilsimri, Hwasun-Eup, Hwasun-Gun, Jeonnam, 519-809, Republic of Korea

    Kyung Soon Park, Jong Keun Seon & Eun Kyoo Song

  3. Department of Anatomy, Catholic Institute for Applied Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-040, Republic of Korea

    Dai Soon Kwak

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  1. Ji Yong Bae
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Correspondence to Insu Jeon.

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Bae, J.Y., Park, K.S., Seon, J.K. et al. Biomechanical analysis of the effects of medial meniscectomy on degenerative osteoarthritis. Med Biol Eng Comput 50, 53–60 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-011-0840-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-011-0840-1

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