Finite Element Analysis of Bone Remodeling after Hip Resurfacing Arthropla

摘要

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) is a bone-saving treatment of degenerative or traumatic damages of hip joints, and it is more and more used for younger patients. However, numerous clinical studies have shown that HRA can cause a fracture of the femoral neck. This has been widely attributed to the large contact area in the coupling of prosthesis head and socket. Another factor, though, which is probably more crucial for possible fractures, is bone resorption due to stress shielding in the periprosthetic femur. This is investigated in the study presented here by computation of the bone remodeling after HRA on the basis of the finite element analysis (FEA). The FE results show that there is bone mass loss at the femoral head underneath the prosthesis cap and at the stem, and this can cause a femoral neck fracture.