Biomechanical Study of Different Scaffold Designs for Reconstructing a Traumatic Distal Femur Defect Using Patient-Specific Computational Modeling

Abstract

Reconstruction of a traumatic distal femur defect remains a therapeutic challenge. Bone defect implants have been proposed to substitute the bone defect, and their biomechanical performances can be analyzed via a numerical approach. However, the material assumptions for past computational human femur simulations were mainly homogeneous. Thus, this study aimed to design and analyze scaffolds for reconstructing the distal femur defect using a patient-specific finite element modeling technique. A three-dimensional finite element model of the human femur with accurate geometry and material distribution was developed using the finite element method and material mapping technique. An intact femur and a distal femur defect model treated with nine microstructure scaffolds and two solid scaffolds were investigated and compared under a single-leg stance loading. The results showed that the metal solid scaffold design could provide the most stable fixation for reconstructing the distal femur defect. However, the fixation stability was affected by various microstructure designs and pillar diameters. A microstructure scaffold can be designed to satisfy all the biomechanical indexes, opening up future possibilities for more stable reconstructions. A three-dimensional finite element model of the femur with real bone geometry and bone material distribution can be developed, and this patient-specific femur model can be used for studying other femoral fractures or injuries, paving the way for more comprehensive research in the field. Besides, this patient-specific finite element modeling technique can also be applied to developing other human or animal bone models, expanding the scope of biomechanical research.