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Biomedical subjects

A Toni

Publications and source records attributed to A Toni.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Mechanical validation of whole bone composite femur models.

Composite synthetic models of the human femur have recently become commercially available as substitutes for cadaveric specimens. Their quick diffusion was justified by the advantages they offer as a substitute for real femurs. The present investigation concentrated on an extensive experimental validation of the mechanical behaviour of the whole bone composite model, compared to human fresh-frozen and dried-rehydrated specimens for different loading conditions. First, the viscoelastic behaviour of the models was investigated under simulated single leg stance loading, showing that the little time dependent phenomena observed tend to extinguish within a few minutes of the load application. The behaviour under axial loading was then studied by comparing the vertical displacement of the head as well as the axial strains, by application of a parametric descriptive model of the strain distribution. Finally, a four point bending test and a torsional test were performed to characterize the whole bone stiffness of the femur. In all these tests, the composite femurs were shown to fall well within the range for cadaveric specimens, with no significant differences being detected between the synthetic femurs and the two groups of cadaveric femurs. Moreover, the interfemur variability for the composite femurs was 20-200 times lower than that for the cadaveric specimens, thus allowing smaller differences to be characterized as significant using the same simple size, if the composite femurs are employed.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1996

Bone remodelling adjacent to intramedullary stems: an optimal structures approach.

The internal parameters in bone remodelling theories often are not clearly related to the bony structure which results from the simulations in which they are implemented. For a restricted class of bone remodelling theories, we have previously found a connection between overall structural optimization and the parameters within a continuum-level remodelling rule. In this study, we assess whether a simplified analytical formula based on structural optimization can predict the behaviour of a large-scale finite element bone remodelling simulation. The analytical formula predicts when bone will remain around an intramedullary implant. The predictions of the formula are borne out in the numerical results. This leads to a physical interpretation of one of the two parameters in the remodelling rule used. The results also show some characteristics which are clinically relevant. This study extends earlier results due to Huiskes for internal remodelling around intramedullary implants by using a different, numerically stable remodelling algorithm based on optimization. The study also shows a direct practical application of the optimizing remodelling theory the authors have developed previously.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1996

Discussion on the design of a hip joint simulator.

Hip joint simulators were developed for predicting, by attempting to duplicate in vitro physiological loads and motion, the wear rate that total hip replacements are likely to show in vivo. From a theoretical point of view, loading and motion cycles of hip joints could be closely reproduced by three rotation actuators and three force actuators. However existing devices have been designed assuming that some of these degrees of freedom are negligible, in order to reduce the complexity of the equipment. The present study singles out some preliminary indications on the design choices regarding the spatial configuration of loading and motion actuators. The aim is to define theoretically a simplified simulator but still able to apply the most physiologically realistic loading cycle to the specimen.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1996

[Femoral densitometry as potential preoperative indicator for cementation of hip prosthesis].

This work suggests a densitometric protocol for femoral studies in arthrosic patients candidate to total hip arthroplasty. The protocol was applied retrospectively to 60 cases to investigate its possible future use as a tool for the preoperative planning of prosthetic stem fixation techniques-i.e., cemented vs. uncemented. The well-known standard procedures for femoral densitometric studies by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), are usually applied to the femoral neck, Ward's triangle and the greater trochanter. Unfortunately, these analyses lose their significance if applied to arthrosic hips, and arthrosis is the main condition requiring total hip arthroplasty. Our protocol for femoral studies in arthrosic patients includes the preoperative analysis of 7 regions of interest in the proximal shaft, similar to Gruen's regions. In vivo precision tests show variation coefficients ranging 0.9-3.7%. The protocol was applied to a series of 60 arthrosic patients who were submitted to total hip arthroplasty by the same surgical staff. Twenty of them were implanted a cemented stem and the other 40 an uncemented ("press-fit") stem. Densitometric results were communicated only after surgery, to avoid any bias on the normal decision-making process usually used to choose the fixation technique for the prosthetic stem. The two groups of cemented vs. uncemented stems had different distribution of densitometric values. Therefore, the information obtained with femoral densitometric studies preoperatively can play a major role in the choice between cemented and uncemented stems. Moreover, if femoral densitometric studies are carried out preoperatively, their results can be closely related to periprosthetic tissue remodeling and implant follow-up.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Effects of some technological aspects on the fatigue strength of a cementless hip stem.

Four prototype cementless hip stems were tested following the ISO 7206 protocol for the assessment of the endurance properties and compared with a cast Cr-Co-Mo (ASTM F75) commercially available stem which was used as reference design. All the tested stems were similar in shape and size, but with some substantial differences. The first was made of forged Ti6A14V alloy (ASTM F136). The second, made of the same material, featured a central hole intended to reduce the bending stiffness of the stem itself. The third was identical to the second but for a small tooling notch in one of the fillets of the hole. The fourth was similar to the first but had a coating of sintered titanium beads in the proximal part. All of these modifications were made to evaluate the effect of fatigue strength of intentional or unintentional features commonly found in commercial stems. The forged Ti6A14V allow was found to be substantially stronger than the cast ASTM F75 Cr-Co-Mo alloy. However, tooling notches or sintered coatings were found to dramatically reduce this strength. Thus, the Ti6A14V alloy calls for an accurate design process, especially when complex shapes or sintered structures are required.

Alloys↗
PubMed1995

Influence of thigh muscles on the axial strains in a proximal femur during early stance in gait.

This work is focused on the in vitro simulation of the loads occurring in the femur during early stance in gait, for hip prosthesis stress shielding test purposes. Ten thigh muscles (the three gluteal muscles, the three vasti, rectus femoris, adductor longus and magnus, biceps femoris), simulated by nylon straps, were tested in order to establish their influence on the strains in the proximal femur. Axial and hoop strains were recorded from 16 strain gauges for the effect of each muscle and compared to the strains recorded as a result of the hip joint reaction force only (i.e. without muscle simulation). It appears that the three glutei are the principal muscles in determining the vertical strains, however the rectus femoris, biceps femoris and the adductors were also seen to significantly affect the strain pattern. The inadequacy of increasing the adduction angle and applying the resultant force at the hip joint to simulate the abductors was also confirmed.

Femur↗
PubMed1995

A computerized system for radiographical evaluation in total hip arthroplasty.

In the field of orthopaedic surgery radiographical image evaluation is frequently used to determine possible pathological processes. For total hip arthroplasty in particular, it is important to evaluate both preoperative femoral morphology and post-operative prosthesis performance in terms of bone adhesion to the implant and, consequently, loosening or stability of prosthesis components. References to a method called Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) exist in the literature; however, the authors note that this method is expensive and requires the insertion of markers during the operation. Here we present an alternative computerized method for radiographical evaluation which we call radiographical evaluation system in total hip arthroplasty (RESTHA). The accuracy and the repeatability of the method have been evaluated using a medium-sized pelvis-femur system made of composite material. A mean error of +/- 2 mm has been associated to each experimental point. A post-operative inquiry case study is presented to indicate the applicability of the method.

Computers↗
PubMed1995

Initial stability of uncemented hip stems: an in-vitro protocol to measure torsional interface motion.

The difficulty in quantitatively assessing the inherent variables of surgical stem insertion and interfemur differences continues to be a problem in experimental methodologies which assess hip stem stability. An in-vitro torsional stability protocol was developed which limited the mechanical testing variability and provided a reproducible micromotion measurement of an uncemented stem in synthetic composite femurs. Using a controlled mechanical stem insertion resulted in less interfemur variability within each group with the coefficient of variation being reduced from 35% overall to less than 20%. Femurs with shallow stem insertion depths had significantly larger micromotion than femurs having deep stem insertion depths. The sensitivity of the experimental protocol and the synthetic composite femurs to the varied functional behaviour of three different stem designs was demonstrated. The stem with a hollowed anterior-to-posterior proximal section experienced significantly more motion than the two stems with full proximal sections, reinforcing the need for proximal contact to ensure minimal micromotion in torsional loading.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1994

Cytotoxicity testing of cyanoacrylates using direct contact assay on cell cultures.

The use of a tissue adhesive for surgical procedures has prompted a large number of clinical and experimental studies. Alkyl-2-cyanoacrylate esters constitute a family of adhesives with good mechanical properties but their biological compatibility has to be assessed. In this study the cytotoxicity of three commercially available cyanoacrylates and one of unknown composition has been determined. The first part of the study deals with direct contact testing procedures using L 929 cells challenged with drops of adhesives: cell morphology, cell growth and bacterial growth inhibition were assayed. Testing methods included cell viability assay using vital dyes, cell growth measurement using crystal violet staining uptake and bacterial growth assay using S. aureus growth inhibition. All the cyanoacrylate adhesives tested were found to be cytotoxic and to inhibit cell proliferation: differences between the cyanoacrylates were found.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1994

Toxicity of cyanoacrylates in vitro using extract dilution assay on cell cultures.

Comparative cytotoxicity testing of four cyanoacrylate adhesives suggested for orthopaedic applications was performed. These substances were placed in complete culture medium with serum and the resulting extraction fluids were tested on L 929 cells and human lymphocytes. Testing procedures include cell morphology assessment using light microscopy and vital dyes, cell counting using a computer-assisted image analysis system, cell growth measurement using total protein content assay and cell viability assessment using the MTT method. Quantitation of the toxicity of the degradation products released by cyanoacrylates in the extracts was achieved and differences in the cytopathic effect related to the chemical composition of the cyanoacrylates were found. A toxicity rating of the assayed cyanoacrylate adhesives was obtained as follows (in order of increasing toxicity): BCA < xCA < ECAg < ECAl.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of experimental and finite element models of synthetic and cadaveric femora for pre-clinical design-analysis.

The aim of this study was to determine the validity with which the finite element method could model synthetic bone and thereby determine the appropriateness of such femur analogues for application in pre-clinical tests. The performance of these synthetic femora was compared with cadaveric bone when employing the same geometric and material definition protocols. A four-point bend loading configuration was selected for this analysis. Four synthetic femurs and an embalmed cadaveric bone were tested experimentally to determine the structural bending stiffness (k) for the diaphysis of these bones. A finite element (FE) model was generated and an analysis performed for each bone type to estimate the Young's modulus (E) required to obtain a model stiffness equivalent to that obtained experimentally. The estimated material elastic modulus in the FE model for the synthetic femur was found to be very similar to available data for this bone analogue. The estimated cadaveric bone modulus however was found to differ significantly from documented values for cortical bone. A theoretical analysis demonstrated the great sensitivity of the estimated modulus value to the accuracy of the geometric definition. The very low variability found in the experimental test on the synthetic bones together with their more regular geometry and the possibility of achieving greater accuracy in geometric definition was shown to enable the production of a valid FE model of this bone for an isotropic homogeneous material description. Conversely, the greater irregularity of geometry, together with the less obvious differentiation between the cortical and cancellous bone in the cadaveric specimen makes accurate geometric description of this bone very difficult. This fact, together with the uncertainty concerning the quality of the cadaveric bone and its viscoelastic response during mechanical testing, makes reproduction of its behaviour in a FE model a much more demanding task. It is suggested that this greater capability of reproducing the experimental behaviour of the synthetic bone makes them a very useful model for both experimental and numerical studies which involve in-vitro pre-clinical testing of implant design and stem-bone behaviour.

Artificial Organs↗
PubMed1994

Bone demineralization induced by cementless alumina-coated femoral stems.

The biologic compatibility of ceramic materials has been widely demonstrated, and alumina (Al2O3) has been used extensively in clinical applications for nearly 20 years. The authors examined the behavior of bone tissue adjacent to the alumina coating in eight cementless hip prosthetic stems that appeared radiologically stable and were explanted because of pain. Histologic evaluation demonstrated the presence of a consistent layer of decalcified bone tissue in continuity with and parallel to the prosthetic interface. Based on laboratory findings, the authors attribute this demineralization phenomenon to a high local concentration of aluminum ions with metabolic bone disease, which is histologically comparable to the osteomalacic osteodystrophy described in dialysis patients. These findings must be carefully considered given the potential long-term implications for alumina-coated implants.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Automatic fracture reduction with a computer-controlled external fixator.

The reduction of fractures by means of an Ilizarov's fixator is obtained by successively shortening or lengthening the rods. This entails that all reduction operations of the fracture stumps be performed with a series of empirical attempts, requiring great experience and manual dexterity in the surgeon. Moreover this process involves a long exposure of both physician and patient to potentially harmful radiation due to the continuous checking of the intermediate positions on the X-ray image intensifier. In order to overcome these limits a new device has been conceived, based on the application of three stepper-motors on three-rods. Its basic principle is functionally very similar to Ilizarov's prototype. The relative motions between the two frames are carried out by controlling the three actuators with a computer, which processes the number of required steps on the basis of an algorithm, starting from a few inputs supplied by the surgeon. This article illustrates the functional kinematic study necessary for the complete automation of the reduction process. Also considered is the complex problem of the reduction trajectory definition, intended as a sequence of configurations of partial correction, obtained by formalizing in geometrical terms the empirical criteria followed by the orthopaedic surgeon in reducing fractures. Such a sequence is intended to be a suggestion for the surgeon who can visualize and possibly interact with the system to determine a trajectory harmless for the soft tissues surrounding the bone.

External Fixators↗
PubMed1994

Incidence of intraoperative femoral fracture. Straight-stemmed versus anatomic cementless total hip arthroplasty.

The authors report the incidence of intraoperative femoral fractures (16 cases) occurring during the course of 395 cementless total hip arthroplasties performed at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute between November, 1980 and June, 1991. The straight stem (Lord prosthesis) caused an intraoperative fracture in 18% of the cases, whereas the anatomic stem (An.C.A.) caused a fracture in only 1.5% of the cases. An intraoperative fracture occurred in 13% of patients with osteoporosis and only in 1.4% of those with normal mineralization of the proximal femur. Seven cases required circlage wiring; one was treated with interfragmentary screws (in the diaphysis). The remaining patients were treated with casting or delayed weight-bearing. Fifteen fractures consolidated within an average of 10 weeks. One case treated with circlage wiring and screws resulted in a nonunion. After 7 months, internal fixation with a plate and screws was performed with consolidation 5 months later. All stems were radiographically stable at an average follow-up of 40 months.

Female↗
PubMed1993

Digital dynamic range expansion applied to X-ray densitometric analysis of total hip replacement.

Due to the presence of the stiff prosthetic stem fitted in the medullary canal during total hip replacement, the surrounding cortex of the femur changes its density over time. This bone remodelling takes place with every type of total hip prosthesis; however, its intensity may vary between prostheses and patients. In the worst cases this process can lead to the late failure of the implant. To monitor such bone density evolution, we are developing a tailored Computer-aided Densitometric Image Analysis system (the major part of this our system uses an 8-bit commercial hardware with 256 levels of grey). The equivalent dynamic range of an X-ray picture is about 10 bits. In this paper we present a method to overcome these hardware limitations by improving the software. Using a double-exposure acquisition it is possible to build a 9-bit image that is good enough for most applications involving bone density measurement.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1993

X-ray diffraction of newly formed bone close to alumina- or hydroxyapatite-coated femoral stem.

The study was focused on the bone tissue response to two types of ceramic coating [alumina and hydroxyapatite (HA)] obtained with a plasma-spray technique. The HA coating was performed on titanium stems, while the alumina coating was on chromium-cobalt-molybdenum stems. The investigation was carried out by means of micro-area X-ray diffractometric analyses and microdiffractometric analyses at the bone-implant interface. Moreover, the coating before and after implantation was analysed by means of the conventional powder X-ray diffractometric technique. This study demonstrated that 1 yr after implantation in animals the newly formed bone adjacent to the HA-coated hip prosthesis stems was mineralized as much as the pre-existing bone, while 24-64 months after surgery in humans the newly formed bone close to the alumina-coated hip prosthesis stems showed a lamellar and Haversian structure strongly demineralized, probably due to the release of aluminum ions from the alumina covering. The authors conclude that the X-ray diffraction allows the evaluation of the structural modifications of the ceramic coating, the bone formation rate close to the coating and the chemical nature of the particles released from the coating.

Aluminum Oxide↗
PubMed1993

Morphometric and microanalytical analyses of alumina wear particles in hip prostheses.

We analysed tissues harvested during 24 retrievals of hip joint prostheses, with one or both articular components made of alumina. We describe the morphology of wear particles, measure their size and analyse their chemical composition. We relate histopathological aspects to the parameters that characterize ceramic wear particles, and notice that tissue reaction relates to the physical aspect and amount of wear debris and does not necessarily depend on their chemical composition.

Aluminum Oxide↗