Finite element analysis of customized acetabular implant and bone after pelvic tumour resection throughout the gait cycle

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate and compare the stress distribution of a reconstructed pelvis under different screw forces in a typical walking pattern. Computer-aided design models of the pelvic bones and sacrum made based on computer tomography images and individually designed implants are the basis for creating finite element models, which are imported into ABAQUS software. The screws provide compression loading and bring the implant and pelvic bones together. The sacrum is fixed at the level of the L5 vertebrae. The variants of strength analyses are carried out with four different screw pretension forces. The loads equivalent to the hip joint reaction forces arising during moderate walking are applied to reference points based on the centres of the acetabulum. According to the results of the performed analyses, the optimal and critical values of screw forces are estimated for the current model. The highest stresses among all the models occurred in the screws and implant. As soon as the screw force increases up to the ultimate value, the bone tissue might be locally destroyed. The results prove that the developed implant design with optimal screw pretension forces should have good biomechanical characteristics.