Applications of computer modelling for the design of orthopaedic, dental and cardiovascular biomaterials

摘要

Biomaterials do not escape from the general trend present in all contemporary science andtechnology towards increasing use of computers and information technology. In this paper the use ofcomputer modelling for the design of biomaterials is discussed. The word 'biomaterials' is interpretedin its broadest sense, i.e. referring to any foreign object brought into the body for temporary orpermanent use. Computer modelling will first be discussed as a tool to model biological structures(bones, arteries) or to investigate and simulate biological interactions at implant-host interfaces. It willthen be illustrated how computer modelling, using insights gained from the modelling of the biologicalstructures themselves, is used in the design process of dental, orthopaedic and cardiovascularprostheses. The area of computer modelling for biomaterials applications has become so vast that anexhaustive overview is impossible in the framework of one paper. Rather, some illustrative casestudies will be discussed which are, in the opinion of the authors, representative of general trends inthis challenging domain of science on the boundary between engineering and medicine.