Bone anchors (or suture anchors) are used to provide attachment points for sutures to connect tissue such as tendons or ligaments to bone, and work by engaging a threaded portion—sometimes tapered—to the cancellous and/or cortical bone. Such repair is often needed after trauma, or as part of reconstructive surgery. This paper uses the finite element method to compare the pullout characteristics of one common type of bone anchor in different cancellous bone structures. Finite element models are created by using computed tomography (CT) scans of cancellous bone and building computer-aided design (CAD) models to define the cancellous bone geometry. Orthopedic surgeons will sometimes remove parts of the cortical shell and this paper also examines the mechanical effects of decortication. Furthermore, the importance of the connection between anchor and cortical layer is examined. One of the key outcomes from the model is that the coefficient of friction between bone and anchor determines potential mechanisms of pullout. The stiffness of anchors and the effect of the cortical layer are presented for different pullout angles to obtain the theoretical response. The results show the detailed modeling that includes the micro-architecture of the cancellous bone is necessary to capture the large variations that can exist.
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December 2014
Research-Article
Bone Anchors—A Preliminary Finite Element Study of Some Factors Affecting Pullout
C. M. Hughes,
C. M. Hughes
School of Engineering and Design,
e-mail: chris.hughes@brunel.ac.uk
Brunel University
,Uxbridge UB8 3PH
, UK
e-mail: chris.hughes@brunel.ac.uk
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C. J. Brown
C. J. Brown
1
School of Engineering and Design,
e-mail: chris.brown@brunel.ac.uk
Brunel University
,Uxbridge UB8 3PH
, UK
e-mail: chris.brown@brunel.ac.uk
1Corresponding author.
Search for other works by this author on:
C. M. Hughes
School of Engineering and Design,
e-mail: chris.hughes@brunel.ac.uk
Brunel University
,Uxbridge UB8 3PH
, UK
e-mail: chris.hughes@brunel.ac.uk
A. Bordush
B. Robioneck
P. Procter
C. J. Brown
School of Engineering and Design,
e-mail: chris.brown@brunel.ac.uk
Brunel University
,Uxbridge UB8 3PH
, UK
e-mail: chris.brown@brunel.ac.uk
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received October 21, 2013; final manuscript received February 12, 2014; published online xx xx, xxxx. Assoc. Editor: Rita M. Patterson.
J. Med. Devices. Dec 2014, 8(4): 041006 (9 pages)
Published Online: August 19, 2014
Article history
Received:
October 21, 2013
Revision Received:
February 12, 2014
Citation
Hughes, C. M., Bordush, A., Robioneck, B., Procter, P., and Brown, C. J. (August 19, 2014). "Bone Anchors—A Preliminary Finite Element Study of Some Factors Affecting Pullout." ASME. J. Med. Devices. December 2014; 8(4): 041006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4026901
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