Establishment of a numerical model to design an electro-stimulating system for a porcine mandibular critical size defect

Abstract

Electrical stimulation is a promising therapeutic approach for the regeneration of large bone defects. Innovative electrically stimulating implants for critical size defects in the lower jaw are under development and need to be optimized in silico and tested in vivo prior to application. In this context, numerical modelling and simulation are useful tools in the design process. In this study, a numerical model of an electrically stimulated minipig mandible was established to find optimal stimulation parameters that allow for a maximum area of beneficially stimulated tissue. Finite-element simulations were performed to determine the stimulation impact of the proposed implant design and to optimize the electric field distribution resulting from sinusoidal low-frequency ( f = 20 Hz) electric stimulation. Optimal stimulation parameters of the electrode length hel = 25mm and the stimulation potential ϕstim = 0.5V were determined. These parameter sets shall be applied in future in vivo validation studies. Furthermore, our results suggest that changing tissue properties during the course of the healing process might make a feedback-controlled stimulation system necessary.