Rheological Measurement of Soft Tissue Imbalance during Total Knee Replacement
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S. F. ATTFIELD [1] ; T. J. WILTON [2]
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[1] Orthotics & Disability Research Centre (GB)
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[2] Derbyshire Royal Infirmary NHS Trust (GB)
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- Localización: Journal of Engineering Design, ISSN 0954-4828, Vol. 6, Nº. 2, 1995, págs. 139-148
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
The measurement of soft tissue imbalance during total knee replacement has long been discussed. The main problem with its assessment was the datum point for its measurement. Surgical instrumentation in the past has assumed that the soft tissues of the knee joint act in a way similar to a mesh work of connecting elastic strings. This is incorrect, however, since the soft tissues have viscoelastic properties with non-linear load-elongation curves. Therefore, surgical instrumentation has been designed to measure soft tissue imbalance at the time of surgery, assuming that the soft tissue structures are viscoelastic. Some sample results of the system in use are presented, showing that soft tissue imbalance can be drastically reduced surgically once the correct design for its measurement has been achieved.
