Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Summary
This monograph has sufficiently presented outcomes from finite element analyses
of the simulated healthy, diseased and treated wrist joint, and they could be
summarised as follows:
1. The absence of the cartilage, the abnormal dislocations of bones with sharp
edges and the laxity of the ligaments in the rheumatic wrist have resulted in
significant unphysiological alteration of the biomechanical behaviours of the
wrist joint, as shown and elucidated in this monograph. TWA was then proving
to provide improvement in reducing contact pressure and assuring balance load
transmission. However, there were rooms for enhancements as the ultimate goal
to restore the function of the healthy wrist still not absolutely achieved.
2. Efforts in simulating the complex wrist joint experienced various difficulties and
it was even pronounced when dealing with the pathological conditions and its
treatments. Therefore, the finite element model development and analyses
mentioned here were performed under certain level of uncertainty and
assumptions. Quantification was found to be very challenging as the available
information is fairly limited. For the RA model construction, for instance,
there was only one out of 10 characteristics has been quantified which was the
carpometacarpal ratio. The remaining characteristics were simulated by making
relevance assumptions according to clinical reports.
3. Technical aspects of the model development need to be further explored. Issues
on linearity (linear or non-linear) of the simulated ligaments, material properties
(isotropic, othotropic etc.) order of elements element type (tetrahedral-
hexahedrals), contact modeling and also effect of sharp gradient between two
material properties, require further explorations.