To be able to assess the biomechanical and functional effects of ankle injury and disease it is necessary to characterise healthy ankle kinematics. Due to the anatomical complexity of the ankle, it is difficult to accurately measure the Tibiotalar and Subtalar joint angles using traditional marker-based motion capture techniques. Biplane Video X-ray (BVX) is an imaging technique that allows direct measurement of individual bones using high-speed, dynamic X-rays. The objective is to develop an in-vivo protocol for the hindfoot looking at the tibiotalar and subtalar joint during different activities of living. A bespoke raised walkway was manufactured to position the foot and ankle inside the field of view of the BVX system. Three healthy volunteers performed three gait and step-down trials while capturing Biplane Video X-Ray (125Hz, 1.25ms, 80kVp and 160 mA) and underwent MR imaging (Magnetom 3T Prisma, Siemens) which were manually segmented into 3D bone models (Simpleware Scan IP, Synopsis). Bone position and orientation for the Talus, Calcaneus and Tibia were calculated by manual matching of 3D Bone models to X-Rays (DSX Suite, C-Motion, Inc.). Kinematics were calculated using MATLAB (MathWorks, Inc. USA). Pilot results showed that for the subtalar joint there was greater range of motion (ROM) for Inversion and Dorsiflexion angles during stance phase of gait and reduced ROM for Internal Rotation compared with step down. For the tibiotalar joint, Gait had greater inversion and internal rotation ROM and reduced dorsiflexion ROM when compared with step down. The developed protocol successfully calculated the in-vivo kinematics of the tibiotalar and subtalar joints for different dynamic activities of daily living. These pilot results show the different kinematic profiles between two different activities of daily living. Future work will investigate translation kinematics of the two joints to fully characterise healthy kinematics

Introduction and Objective. Kinematic Alignment (KA) is a surgical technique that restores the native knee alignment following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). The association of this technique with a medial pivot implant design (MP) attempts to reestablish the physiological kinematics of the knee. Aim of this study is to analyze the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients undergoing MP-TKA with kinematic alignment, and to assess the effect of the limb alignment and the orientation of the tibial component on the clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 63 patients who underwent kinematic aligned medial pivot TKA from September 2018 to January 2020. Patient-Related Outcomes (PROMs) and radiological measures were collected at baseline, 3 months and 12 months after surgery. Results. We demonstrated a significant improvement in the clinical and functional outcomes starting from 3 months after surgery. This finding was also confirmed at the longest follow-up. The clinical improvement was independent from the limb alignment and from the orientation of the tibial component. The radiological analysis showed that the patient's native limb alignment was restored, and that the joint line orientation maintained the parallelism to the floor when standing. This latter result has a particular relevance, as it may positively influence the outcomes, reducing the risk of wear and mobilization of the implant. Conclusions. The association of kinematic alignment and a medial pivot TKA implant allows for a fast recovery, good clinical and functional outcomes, independently from the final limb alignment and the tibial component orientation

In an attempt to alleviate symptoms of the disease, patients with knee osteoarthrosis (KOA) frequently alter their gait patterns. Understanding the underlying pathomechanics and identifying KOA phenotypes is essential for improving treatments. We aimed to investigate altered kinematics in patients with KOA to identify subgroups. Sixty-six patients with symptomatic KOA scheduled for total knee arthroplasty and 12 age-matched healthy volunteers with asymptomatic knees were included. We used k-means to separate the patients based on dynamic radiostereometric assessed knee kinematics. Ligament lesions, KOA score, and clinical outcome were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging, radiographs, and patient reported outcome measures, respectively. We identified four clusters that were supported by clinical characteristics. Compared with the healthy group; The flexion group (n=20): revealed increased flexion, greater adduction, and joint narrowing and consisted primarily of patients with medial KOA. The abduction group (n=17): revealed greater abduction, joint narrowing and included primarily patients with lateral KOA. The anterior draw group (n=10): revealed greater anterior draw, external tibial rotation, lateral tibial shift, adduction, and joint narrowing. This group was composed of patients with medial KOA, some degree of anterior cruciate ligament lesion and the greatest KOA score. The external rotation group (n=19): revealed greater external tibial rotation, lateral tibial shift, adduction, and joint narrowing while no anterior draw was observed. This group included primarily patients with medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligament lesions. Patients with KOA can, based on their gait patterns, be classified into four subgroups, which relate to their clinical characteristics. The findings add to our understanding of associations between disease pathology characteristics in the knee and the pathomechanics in patients with KOA. A next step is to investigate if patients in the pathomechanic clusters have different outcomes following total knee arthroplasty

Objectives. Whilst gait speed is variable between healthy and injured adults, the extent to which speed alone alters the 3D in vivo knee kinematics has not been fully described. The purpose of this prospective study was to understand better the spatiotemporal and 3D knee kinematic changes induced by slow compared with normal self-selected walking speeds within young healthy adults. Methods. A total of 26 men and 25 women (18 to 35 years old) participated in this study. Participants walked on a treadmill with the KneeKG system at a slow imposed speed (2 km/hr) for three trials, then at a self-selected comfortable walking speed for another three trials. Paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were conducted using Stata/IC 14 to compare kinematics of slow versus self-selected walking speed. Results. Both cadence and step length were reduced during slow gait compared with normal gait. Slow walking reduced flexion during standing (10.6° compared with 13.7°; p < 0.0001), and flexion range of movement (ROM) (53.1° compared with 57.3°; p < 0.0001). Slow walking also induced less adduction ROM (8.3° compared with 10.0°; p < 0.0001), rotation ROM (11.4. °. compared with 13.6. °. ; p < 0.0001), and anteroposterior translation ROM (8.5 mm compared with 10.1 mm; p < 0.0001). Conclusion. The reduced spatiotemporal measures, reduced flexion during stance, and knee ROM in all planes induced by slow walking demonstrate a stiff knee gait, similar to that previously demonstrated in osteoarthritis. Further research is required to determine if these characteristics induced in healthy knees by slow walking provide a valid model of osteoarthritic gait. Cite this article: N. Mannering, T. Young, T. Spelman, P. F. Choong. Three-dimensional knee kinematic analysis during treadmill gait: Slow imposed speed versus normal self-selected speed. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:514–521. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.68.BJR-2016-0296.R1

Objectives. Preservation of both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can lead to near-normal post-operative joint mechanics and improved knee function. We hypothesised that a patient-specific bicruciate-retaining prosthesis preserves near-normal kinematics better than standard off-the-shelf posterior cruciate-retaining and bicruciate-retaining prostheses in TKA. Methods. We developed the validated models to evaluate the post-operative kinematics in patient-specific bicruciate-retaining, standard off-the-shelf bicruciate-retaining and posterior cruciate-retaining TKA under gait and deep knee bend loading conditions using numerical simulation. Results. Tibial posterior translation and internal rotation in patient-specific bicruciate-retaining prostheses preserved near-normal kinematics better than other standard off-the-shelf prostheses under gait loading conditions. Differences from normal kinematics were minimised for femoral rollback and internal-external rotation in patient-specific bicruciate-retaining, followed by standard off-the-shelf bicruciate-retaining and posterior cruciate-retaining TKA under deep knee bend loading conditions. Moreover, the standard off-the-shelf posterior cruciate-retaining TKA in this study showed the most abnormal performance in kinematics under gait and deep knee bend loading conditions, whereas patient-specific bicruciate-retaining TKA led to near-normal kinematics. Conclusion. This study showed that restoration of the normal geometry of the knee joint in patient-specific bicruciate-retaining TKA and preservation of the anterior cruciate ligament can lead to improvement in kinematics compared with the standard off-the-shelf posterior cruciate-retaining and bicruciate-retaining TKA. Cite this article: Y-G. Koh, J. Son, S-K. Kwon, H-J. Kim, O-R. Kwon, K-T. Kang. Preservation of kinematics with posterior cruciate-, bicruciate- and patient-specific bicruciate-retaining prostheses in total knee arthroplasty by using computational simulation with normal knee model. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:557–565. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.69.BJR-2016-0250.R1

Despite high success rates following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), knee kinematics are altered following TKA. Additionally, many patients report that their reconstructed knee does not feel ‘normal’ [1], potentially due to the absence of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an important knee stabilizer and proprioceptive mechanism. ACL-retaining implants have been introduced with the aim of replicating native knee kinematics, however, there has yet to be a detailed comparison between knee kinematics in the native knee and one reconstructed with an ACL-retaining implant. Six fresh-frozen right legs (77±10 yr, 5 male) were mounted in a kinematic rig and subjected to squatting (40°-105°) motions. The vertical positon of the hip was manipulated with a linear actuator to induce knee flexion while the quadriceps were loaded with an actuator to maintain a vertical load of 90 N at the ankle [2]. Medial/lateral hamstring forces were applied with 50 N load springs. During testing, an infrared camera system recorded the trajectories of spherical markers rigidly attached to the femur and tibia. Two trials were performed per specimen. Following testing on the native knee, specimens were implanted with an ACL-retaining TKA (Vanguard XP, Zimmer Biomet) and all trials were repeated. Three inlay thicknesses were tested to simulate optimal balancing as well as over- (1 mm thicker) and understuffing (1 mm thinner) relative to the optimal thickness. Pre-operative computed tomography scans allowed identification of bony landmarks and marker orientation, which were used define anatomically relevant coordinate systems. The recorded marker trajectories were transformed to anatomical translations/rotations and resampled at increments of 1° of knee flexion. Translations of the medial and lateral femoral condyle centers were scaled to maximum anterior-posterior (AP) width of the medial and lateral tibial plateau, respectively. For all kinematics, statistical analysis between knee conditions was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA in increments of 10° knee flexion. Internal rotation of the tibia was significantly lower (p<0.05) for the three reconstructed conditions relative to the native knee at flexion angles of 60° and below. No significant differences in tibial rotation were observed between the balanced, overstuffed, or understuffed conditions. The varus orientation was not significantly influenced by implantation, regardless of inlay thickness, for all flexion angles. At 40° flexion, the AP position of the femoral medial condyle was significantly more anterior for the native knee relative to the balanced and understuffed conditions. This finding was not significant for the other flexion angles. No significant differences were found for the lateral condyle center AP position at any flexion angle. Preservation of the cruciate ligaments during total knee arthroplasty may allow better physiologic representation of knee kinematics. The implants tested in this study were able to replicate kinematics of the native knee, except for tibial rotation and AP position of the medial femoral condyle in early knee flexion. Interestingly, the impact of inlay thickness was generally small, suggesting some tolerance in the choice of inlay thickness

Differences at motor control strategies to provide dynamic balance in various tasks in diabetic polyneuropatic (DPN) patients due to losing the lower extremity somatosensory information were reported in the literature. It has been stated that dynamics of center of mass (CoM) is controlled by center of pressure (CoP) during human upright standing and active daily movements. Indeed analyzing kinematic trajectories of joints unveil motor control strategies stabilizing CoM. Nevertheless, we hypothesized that imbalance disorders/CoM destabilization observed at DPN patients due to lack of tactile information about the base of support cannot be explained only by looking at joint kinematics, rather functional foot usage is proposed to be an important counterpart at controlling CoM. In this study, we included 14 DPN patients, who are diagnosed through clinical examination and electroneuromyography, and age matched 14 healthy subjects (HS) to identify control strategies in functional reach test (FRT). After measuring participants’ foot arch index (FAI) by a custom-made archmeter, they were tested by using a force plate, motion analysis system, surface electromyography and pressure pad, all working in synchronous during FRT. We analyzed data to determine effect of structural and functional foot pathologies due to neuropathy on patient performance and postural control estimating FAI, reach length (FR), FR to height (H) ratio (FR/H; normalized FR with respect to height), displacement of CoM and CoP in anteroposterior direction only, moment arm (MA, defined as the difference between CoP and CoM at the end of FRT), ankle, knee and hip joint angles computed at the sagittal plane for both extremities. Kinematic metrics included initial and final joint angles, defined with respect to start and end of reaching respectively. Further difference in the final and initial joint angles was defined as Δ. FAI was founded significantly lower in DPN patients (DPN: 0.3404; HS: 0.3643, p= <0.05). The patients’ FR, FR/H and absolute MA and displacement of CoM were significantly shorter than the control group (p= <0.05). Displacement of CoP between the two groups were not significant. Further we observed that CoM was lacking CoP in DPN patients (mean MA: +0.88 cm), while leading CoP in HS (mean MA: −1.59 cm) at the end of FRT. All initial angles were similar in two groups, however in DPN patients final right and left hip flexion angle (p=0.016 and p=0.028 respectively) and left ankle plantar flexion angle (p=0.04) were smaller than HS significantly. DPN patients had significantly less (p=0.029) hip flexion (mean at right hip angle, Δ=25.0°) compared to HS (Δ=33.53°) and ankle plantar flexion (DPN mean at right ankle angle, Δ=6.42°, HS mean Δ=9.07°; p=0.05). The results suggest that movement of both hip and ankle joints was limited simultaneously in DPN patients causing lack of CoM with respect to CoP at the end of reaching with significantly lower FAI. These results lead to the fact that cutaneous and joint somatosensory information from foot and ankle along with the structure of foot arch may play an important role in maintaining dynamic balance and performance of environmental context. In further studies, we expect to show that difference at control strategies in DPN patients due to restricted functional foot usage might be a good predictor of how neuropathy evolves to change biomechanical aspects of biped erect posture

Tibial bone density may affect implant stability and functional outcomes following total knee replacement (TKR). Our aim was to characterise the bone density profile at the implant-tibia interface following TKR in mechanical versus kinematic alignment. Pre-operative computed tomography scans for 10 patients were obtained. Using surgical planning software, tibial cuts were made for TKR either neutral (mechanical) or 3 degrees varus (kinematic) alignment. Signal intensity, in Hounsfield Units (HU), was measured at 25,600 points throughout an axial slice at the implant-tibia interface and density profiles compared along defined radial axes from the centre of the tibia towards the cortices. From the tibial centre towards the lateral cortex, trabecular bone density for kinematic and mechanical TKR are similar in the inner 50% but differ significantly beyond this (p= 0.012). There were two distinct density peaks, with peak trabecular bone density being higher in kinematic TKR (p<0.001) and peak cortical bone density being higher in mechanical TKR (p<0.01). The difference in peak cortical to peak trabecular signal was 43 HU and 185 HU respectively (p<0.001). On the medial side there was no significant difference in density profile and a linear increase from centre to cortex. In the lateral proximal tibia, peak cortical and peak trabecular bone densities differ between kinematic TKR and mechanical TKR. Laterally, mechanical TKR may be more dependent upon cortical bone for support compared to kinematic TKR, where trabecular bone density is higher. This may have implications for surgical planning and implant design

Introduction. Better functional outcomes, lower pain and better stability have been reported with knee designs which restore physiological knee kinematics. Also the ability of the TKA design to properly restore the physiological femoral rollback during knee flexion, has shown to be correlated with better restoration of the flexor/extensor mechanism, which is fundamental to the function of the human knee. The purpose of the study is to compare the kinematics of three different TKA designs, by evaluating knee motion during Activities of Daily Living. The second goal is to see if there is a correlation between the TKA kinematics and the patient reported outcomes. Methods. Ten patients of each design, who are at least 6 months after their Total Knee Replacement, will be included in this study. Seven satisfied and 3 dissatisfied patients will be selected for each design. In this study 5 different movements will be analysed: flexion/extension; Sitting on and rising from a chair, Stair climbing, descending stairs, Flexion and extension open chain and squatting. These movements will be captured with a fluoroscope. The 2D images that are obtained, will be matched with the 3D implants. This 3D image will be processed with custom-made software to be able to analyse the movement. Tibio-femoral contact points of the medial and lateral condyles, tibio-femoral axial rotation, determination of the pivot-point will be analysed and described. After this analysis, a correlation between the kinematics and the KOOS and KSS will be investigated. Results. (The results of the first six patients are shown, more patients are currently being tested.) The average weight-bearing ROM of the implants is 108.48° +/− 19.68°

We hypothesized that using the navigation system, intra-operative knee kinematics after implantation measured may predict that post-operative kinematic in activities of daily living. Our aim was to compare intra-operative knee kinematics by a computed tomography (CT)-based navigation system and post-operative by the 2- to 3-dimensional registration techniques (2D3D). This study were performed for 8 patients (10 knees, medial osteoarthritis) who underwent primary PS TKA using CT-based navigation system. The median follow-up period from operation date to fluoroscopic surveillance date was 13 months (range 5 – 37 months). Navigation and 2D3D had a common coordinate origin for components. Medial and lateral femoral condyle anterior-posterior translation (MFT and LFT) were respectively defined as the distance of the projection of the points (which was set on the top of the posterior femoral pegs) onto the axial plane of the tibial coordinate system. Intraoperative kinematics was measured using the navigation system after final implantation and closure of the retinaculum during passive full flexion and extension imposed by the surgeon. Under fluoroscopic surveillance in the sagittal plane, each patient was asked to perform sequential deep knee flexion under both weight bearing (WB) and non-weight bearing (NWB) conditions from full extension to maximum flexion. Repeated two-way ANOVA (tasks × flexion angles) were used, and then post-hoc test (paired t-tests with Boferroni correction) were performed. The level of statistical significant difference was set at 0.05 on two-way ANOVAs and 0.05 / 3 on post-hoc paired t-tests. Mean range of motion between femoral and tibial components were Intra-operative (Intra): 28.0 ± 9.7, NWB conditions: 120.6 ± 11.1, WB conditions: 125.1 ± 12.9°, respectively. Mean ER (+) / IR (−) from 0° to 120° were Intra-operative (Intra): 9.3 ± 10.2°, NWB conditions: 8.1 ± 8.9, WB conditions: 5.2 ± 7.0, respectively. Mean MFT /LFT from 0° to 90° were Intra; 4.4 ±14.8/ 4.2± 8.5mm, NWB; 6.2 ± 6.9 / 9.2 ± 3.1 mm, WB; 9.2 ± 3.5 / 7.4 ± 2.8 mm, respectively. Mean MFT /LFT from 90° to 120° were Intra; −4.4 ± 2.5 / −5.7 ± 2.9 mm, NWB; −5.5 ± 1.8 / −8.2 ± 0.6 mm, WB; −4.0 ± 1.9 / −5.4 ± 2.3mm, respectively. Mean ADD/ABD from 0° to 120° were Intra;-4.2 ± 3.0, NWB; −0.2 ± 2.1, WB; −0.1 ± 0.8, respectively. Repeated two-way ANOVA showed a significant all interaction on kinematic variables (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference at post-hoc test was found in ER/ IR of all tasks and MFT /LFT of Intra vs NWB and Intra vs WB from 0° to 120° (p>0.05 / 3). The Conditions of these tasks were different from each others. Our study demonstrated that intra-operative kinematics could predict post-operative kinematics

There are few studies that have compared between continuous flexion activities and extension activities of normal knees. The purpose of this study is to compare in vivo kinematic comparison of normal knees between flexion activities and extension activities. Total of 8 normal male knees were investigated. We evaluated in vivo three-dimensional kinematics using 2D/3D registration technique. We compared femoral rotation angle relative to tibia, anterior/posterior (AP) translation of medial femoral sulcus (medial side) and lateral femoral epicondyle (lateral side) onto tibial plane perpendicular to tibial functional axis between flexion activities (F groups) and extension activities (E groups). Femoral external rotation was observed with the knee bending during both groups. The external rotation angle of F group was larger than that of E group significantly from 20 to 30 degrees with flexion (p < 0.05). Regarding medial side, anterior translation was observed up to 40 degrees in F group. From 40 to 140 degrees, posterior translation was observed. In E group, anterior translation was observed from 140 to 40 degrees with extension. From 40 degrees, posterior translation was observed. From 30 to 40 degrees, F group located anterior than E group (p < 0.05). Regarding lateral side, posterior translation was observed with flexion in F group. On the other hand, anterior translation was observed with extension in E group. Regarding AP location with flexion angle, there was no significant difference between two groups. In conclusion, there were different kinematics between flexion activities and extension activities

Our aim was to investigate whether it is possible to predict post-operative kinematics (Post-Ope) from intra-operative kinematics (Intra-Ope) after total knee arthroplasty. Our study were performed for 11 patients (14 knees) who underwent primary PS TKA using CT-based navigation system between Sept.2012 and Sept.2014. The mean subject age was 71.5 ± 5.5 years at the time of surgery. Intra-Ope was measured using the navigation system after implantation during passive full extension and flexion imposed by the surgeon. Under fluoroscopic surveillance, each patient was asked to perform sequential deep knee flexion under both non-weight bearing (NWB) and weight bearing (WB) conditions from full extension to maximum flexion. To estimate the spatial position and orientation, we used a 2- to 3- dimensional (2D3D) registration technique. Intra-Ope and Post-Ope had a common coordinate axis for bones. Evaluations were range of motion (ROM), external rotation angles (ER). The level of statistical significant difference was set at 0.05. Mean ROM in Intra-Ope(130°± 7.9°) was statistically larger than both NWB(121.1°±10.5°) and WB(124.0°±14.7°). No Statistically significant difference was found in the mean ER from 10° to 120° among Intra-Ope (11.2°± 8.5°) and NWB(7.1°±6.0°) and WB(5.3°±3.2°). It is suggested that we could predict Post-Ope from Intra-Ope by considering the increase of the range of motion due to the muscle relaxation condition and the amount of change in the ER

Summary Statement. An alternative way to assess three dimensional skin motion artefacts of kinematic models is presented and applied to a novel kinematic foot model. Largest skin motion is measured in the tarsal region. Introduction. Motion capture systems are being used in daily clinical practise for gait analysis. Last decade several kinematic foot models have been presented to gain more insight in joint movement in various foot pathologies. No method is known to directly measure bone movement in a clinical setting. Current golden standard is based on measurement of motion of skin markers and translation to joint kinematics. Rigid body assumptions and skin motion artefacts can seriously influence the outcome of this approach and rigorous validation is required before clinical application is feasible. Validation of kinematic models is currently done via comparison with bone pin studies. However, these studies can only assess major bones in a highly invasive way; another problem is the non-synchronous measurement of skin markers and bone pins. Recently the Glasgow Maastricht kinematic foot model, which comprises all 26 foot segments, has been presented. To validate the model we propose a novel non-invasive method for the assessment of skin motion artefact, involving loaded CT data. Patients & Methods. 25 subjects (healthy and pathological feet) have undertaken CT scans. These CT-scans have been obtained in 1 unloaded and 3 varying loading conditions. CT-slices are 3D reconstructed and segmented. The principal axes of the segmented bones were derived from the surface points of the bones. These principal axes are used to compute bone orientation. Subsequently, coordinate systems of bones in the different loading conditions were matched. Markers were translated and rotated to orientations of their corresponding bones. Maximal distance between markers is calculated per subject to asses the influence of skin motion. Results. Preliminary results of 9 subjects show largest positional differences for markers associated with the cuneiform lateralis (5.7 ± 3.2 mm) and cuneiform intermedium (7.7 ± 3.7 mm). Smallest positional differences are found on the hallux proximalis (0.9 ± 0.34mm). Spatial resolution is too small to accurately calculate orientation of smaller bones, therefor distal phalanges 2–5 are not taken into account in the analysis. Discussion/Conclusion. Skin motion is a major cause of inaccuracy in gait analysis. This is the first study presenting an automated non-invasive method to calculate the 3D orientation of skin markers with respect to the coordinate system of the corresponding bone(s). Largest skin motion is measured in the tarsal region. Future work will be in calculation of the effect of skin motion in the accuracy of joint angle calculation

Summary Statement. The tensile properties of a number of synthetic fibre constructs and porcine MCLs were experimentally determined and compared to allow the selection of an appropriate synthetic collateral ligament model for use in a kinematic knee simulator. Introduction. As patient expectations regarding functional outcomes of total knee arthroplasty rise the need to assess the kinematics of new implants in vitro has increased. This has traditionally been done using cadaveric models, which can demonstrate high physiological relevance but also substantial inter-specimen variability. More recently there has been a shift towards the use of in silico and non-cadaveric methods. Such methods require significant simplifications of the joint and the modelling of soft tissue structures such as the collateral ligaments. Collateral ligaments are often modelled in in silico studies but have not, in the published literature, been modelled in in vitro knee kinematic simulators. Tensile testing of ligament tissue, to provide reference data, and the subsequent analysis of potential synthetic analogues was carried out. The overall aim of the study was to develop a synthetic ligament analogue for use in kinematic knee simulators. Methods. Porcine MCLs were chosen as these are of a similar size and are a readily available alternative to human ligaments. Six porcine knee specimens were sourced and the MCLs dissected by an orthopaedic registrar. Testing was carried out on an Instron MTS fitted with a 5kN load cell. Each specimen was subjected to 5 pre-conditioning loading cycles before cross-sectional and length measurements were made. Each specimen was then cyclically loaded from 0–200N for 30 cycles before being loaded to failure at a rate of 100mm/min. Ten potential synthetic analogues were also assessed using the same procedure: the Lars 80 (Corin Ltd) synthetic ligament reconstruction system and a selection of readily available synthetic constructs. Results. The porcine specimens demonstrated 6% ± 1% strain (mean ± standard error) after 30 cycles of loading, and a tensile stiffness of 100 N/mm ± 8.9 N/mm. The results of the load to failure tests also indicated a substantial toe region and highlighted the substantial variability associated with cadaveric specimens. The Lars system demonstrated a tensile stiffness of nearly 9 times that of the porcine specimens. However, non-parametric Mann-Whitney U analyses indicated that three of the synthetic samples did not have statistically significantly different tensile stiffness values compared to the porcine specimens (p < 0.05). Of these samples, the polyester braided cord demonstrated the longest and most physiologically relevant toe region. All of the polyester load-displacement traces fell within the range demonstrated by the porcine specimens. Discussion/Conclusion. The tensile properties of the porcine specimens analysed were similar to those reported in in the literature for human ligaments1. Porcine MCLs are thus a fair model of human collateral ligaments and were a suitable reference material for the selection of a synthetic analogue. The tensile testing carried out in the present study indicated that commercially available synthetic ligaments are over engineered in terms of strength and inappropriate for use in kinematic analysis. However, a polyester braided cord did demonstrate appropriate basic mechanical properties and would be appropriate as an analogue model on kinematic knee rigs

Trochlear geometry of modern femoral implants is designed for mechanical alignment (MA) technique for TKA. The biomechanical goal is to create a proximalised and more valgus trochlea to better capture the patella and optimize tracking. In contrast, Kinematic alignment (KA) technique for TKA respects the integrity of the soft tissue envelope and therefore aims to restore native articular surfaces, either femoro-tibial or femoro-patellar. Consequently, it is possible that current implant designs are not suitable for restoring patient specific trochlea anatomy when they are implanted using the kinematic technique, this could cause patellar complications, either anterior knee pain, instability or accelerated wear or loosening. The aim of our study is therefore to explore the extent to which native trochlear geometry is restored when the Persona. ®. implant (Zimmer, Warsaw, USA) is kinematically aligned. A retrospective study of a cohort of 15 patients with KA-TKA was performed with the Persona. ®. prosthesis (Zimmer, Warsaw, USA). Preoperative knee MRIs and postoperative knee CTs were segmented to create 3D femoral models. MRI and CT segmentation used Materialise Mimics and Acrobot Modeller software, respectively. Persona. ®. implants were laser scanned to generate 3D implant models. Those implant models have been overlaid on the 3D femoral implant model (generated via segmentation of postoperative CTs) to replicate, in silico, the alignment of the implant on the post-operative bone and to reproduce in the computer models the features of the implant lost due to CT metal artefacts. 3D models generated from post-operative CT and pre-operative MRI were registered to the same coordinate geometry. A custom written planner was used to align the implant, as located on the CT, onto the pre-operative MRI based model. In house software enabled a comparison of trochlea parameters between the native trochlea and the performed prosthetic trochlea. Parameters assessed included 3D trochlear axis and anteroposterior offset from medial facet, central groove, and lateral facet. Sulcus angle at 30% and 40% flexion was also measured. Inter and intra observer measurement variabilities have been assessed. Varus-valgus rotation between the native and prosthetic trochleae was significantly different (p<0.001), with the prosthetic trochlear groove being on average 7.9 degrees more valgus. Medial and lateral facets and trochlear groove were significantly understuffed (3 to 6mm) postoperatively in the proximal two thirds of the trochlear, with greatest understuffing for the lateral facet (p<0.05). The mean medio-lateral translation and internal-external rotation of the groove and the sulcus angle showed no statistical differences, pre and postoperatively. Kinematic alignment of Persona. ®. implants poorly restores native trochlear geometry. Its clinical impact remains to be defined

Conventional TKA surgery attempts to restore patients to a neutral alignment, and devices are designed with this in mind. Neutral alignment may not be natural for many patients, and may cause dissatisfaction. To solve this, kinematical alignment (KA) attempts to restore the native pre-arthritic joint-line of the knee, with the goal of improving knee kinematics and therefore patient's function and satisfaction. Proper prosthetic trochlea alignment is important to prevent patella complications such as instability or loosening. However, available TKA components have been designed for mechanical implantation, and concerns remain relating the orientation of the prosthetic trochlea when implants are kinematically positioned. The goal of this study is to investigate how a currently available femoral component restores the native trochlear geometry of healthy knees when virtually placed in kinematic alignment. The healthy knee OAI (Osteoarthritis Initiative) MRI dataset was used. 36 MRI scans of healthy knees were segmented to produce models of the bone and cartilage surfaces of the distal femur. A set of commercially available femoral components was laser scanned. Custom 3D planning software aligned these components with the anatomical models: distal and posterior condyle surfaces of implants were coincident with distal and posterior condyle surfaces of the cartilage; the anterior flange of the implant sat on the anterior cortex; the largest implant that fitted with minimal overhang was used, performing ‘virtual surgery’ on healthy subjects. Software developed in-house fitted circles to the deepest points in the trochlear grooves of the implant and the cartilage. The centre of the cartilage trochlear circle was found and planes, rotated from horizontal (0%, approximately cutting through the proximal trochlea) through to vertical (100%, cutting through the distal trochlea) rotated around this, with the axis of rotation parallel to the flexion facet axis. These planes cut through the trochlea allowing comparison of cartilage and implant surfaces at 1 degree increments. Trochlear groove geometry was quantified with (1) groove radial distance from centre of rotation cylinder (2) medial facet radial distance (3) lateral facet radial distance and (4) sulcus angle, along the length of the trochlea. Data were normalised to the mean trochlear radius. The orientation of the groove was measured in the coronal and axial plane relative to the flexion facet axis. Inter- and intra-observer reliability was measured. In the coronal plane, the implant trochlear groove was oriented a mean of 8.7° more valgus (p<0.001) than the normal trochlea. The lateral facet was understuffed most at the proximal groove between 0–60% by a mean of 5.3 mm (p<0.001). The medial facet was understuffed by a mean of 4.4 mm between 0–60% (p<0.001). Despite attempts to design femoral components with a more anatomical trochlea, there is significant understuffing of the trochlea, which could lead to reduced extensor moment of the quadriceps and contribute to patient dissatisfaction

In total knee replacement (TKR), neutral mechanical alignment (NMA) is targeted in prosthetic component implantation. A novel implantation approach, referred to as kinematic alignment (KA), has been recently proposed (Eckhoff et al. 2005). This is based on the pre-arthritic lower limb alignment which is reconstructed using suitable image-based techniques, and is claimed to allow better soft-tissue balance (Eckhoff et al. 2005) and restoration of physiological joint function. Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) introduced in TKR to execute personalized prosthesis component implantation are used for KA. The aim of this study was to report knee kinematics and electromyography (EMG) for a number lower limb muscles from two TKR patient groups, i.e. operated according to NMA via conventional instrumentation, or according to KA via PSI. 20 patients affected by primary gonarthrosis were implanted with a cruciate-retaining fixed-bearing prosthesis with patella resurfacing (Triathlon® by Stryker®, Kalamazoo, MI-USA). 17 of these patients, i.e. 11 operated targeting NMA (group A) via convention instrumentation and 6 targeting KA (group B) via PSI (ShapeMatch® by Stryker®, Kalamazoo, MI-USA), were assessed clinically using the International Knee Society Scoring (IKSS) System and biomechanically at 6-month follow-up. Knee kinematics during stair-climbing, chair-rising and extension-against-gravity was analysed by means of 3D video-fluoroscopy (CAT® Medical System, Monterotondo, Italy) synchronized with 4-channel EMG analysis (EMG Mate, Cometa®, Milan, Italy) of the main knee ad/abductor and flexor/extensor muscles. Knee joint motion was calculated in terms of flex/extension (FE), ad/abduction (AA), and internal/external rotation (IE), together with axial rotation of condyle contact point line (CLR). Postoperative knee and functional IKSS scores in group A were 78±20 and 80±23, worse than in group B, respectively 91±12 and 90±15. Knee motion patterns were much more consistent over patients in group B than A. In both groups, normal ranges were found for FE, IE and AA, the latter being generally smaller than 3°. Average IE ranges in the three motor tasks were respectively 8.2°±3.2°, 10.1°±3.9° and 7.9°±4.0° in group A, and 6.6°±4.0°, 10.5°±2.5° and 11.0°±3.9° in group B. Relevant CLRs were 8.2°±3.2°, 10.2°±3.7° and 8.8°±5.3° in group A, and 7.3°±3.5°, 12.6°±2.6° and 12.5°±4.2° in group B. EMG analysis revealed prolonged activation of the medial/lateral vasti muscles in group A. Such muscle co-contraction was not generally observed in all patients in group B, this perhaps proving more stability in the knee replaced following the KA approach. These results reveal that KA results in better function than NMA in TKR. Though small differences were observed between groups, the higher data consistency and the less prolonged muscle activations detected using KA support indirectly the claim of a more natural knee soft tissue balance. References

Bi-cruciate stabilized (BCS) TKA is the prosthesis that aims to substitute bi-cruciate ligament with post-cam engagement. We estimated to describe the in vivo kinematics during deep knee bending in BCS and Cruciate retaining (CR) TKA with the same articular geometry. We analyzed 26 knees who agreed to the current investigation under institutional review board approval. 17 knees were implanted with BCS (Journey ∥BCS, Smith & Nephew. Memphis, US) and 9 knees with CR (Journey∥CR). Each patient was asked to perform deep knee bending under weight-bearing condition. To estimate the spatial position and orientation of the TKA, 2D/3D registration technique with single fluoroscopy was used. We evaluated anteroposterior (AP) translation of the nearest point from femoral component to tibial axial plane for medial and lateral sides, femoral external rotation relative to tibial component and post-cam engagement in BCS. Measurement results were analyzed using Wilcoxon test. Values of P<0.05 were considered statistically significant. Medial AP translation indicated 11.7±5.1% posterior movement in BCS and 4.0±6.6% anterior movement in CR from minimum flexion to 130°. Lateral AP translation indicated 28.9±11.4% posterior movement in BCS and 18.3±6.2% posterior movement in CR from minimum flexion to 130°. Femoral external rotation were observed in both group and the amount of rotation were 5.2°±4.5° in BCS and 8.2°±4.0° in CR. Anterior post-cam engagement was not observed in all cases (76.5%). But medial AP translation in BCS was anteriorly in shallow flexion angles compared to CR. It suggested that anterior post-cam engagement couldn't work in valid

Wear is an important factor in the long term success of total knee arthroplasty. Therefore, wear testing methods and machines become a standard in research and implant development. These methods are based on two simulation concepts which are defined in standards ISO 14243-1 and 14243-3. The difference in both concepts is the control mode. One is force controlled while the other has a displacement controlled concept. The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical stresses within the different ISO concepts. Furthermore the force controlled ISO was updated in the year 2009 and should be compared with the older which was developed in 2001. A finite element model based on the different ISO standards was developed. A validation calculated with kinematic profile data of the same implant (Aesculap, Columbus CR) in an experimental wear test setup (Endolap GmbH) was done. Based on this model all three different ISO standards were calculated and analysed. Validation results showed Pearson correlation for anterior posterior movement of 0.3 and for internal external rotation 0.9. Two main pressure maximums were present in ISO 14243-1:2001 (force controlled) with 17.9 MPa and 13.5 MPa for 13 % and 48 % of the gait cycle. In contrast ISO 14243-1:2009 (force controlled) showed three pressure maximums of 18.5 MPa (13 % of gait cycle), 16.4 MPa (48 % of gait cycle) and 13.2 MPa (75 % of gait cycle). The displacement controlled ISO (14243-3:2014) showed two pressure maximums of 16.0 MPa (13 % of gait cycle) and 17.2 MPa (48 % of gait cycle). The adapted force controlled ISO of the year 2009 showed higher mechanical stress during gait cycle which also might lead to higher wear rates. The displacement controlled ISO leads to higher mechanical stress because of the constraint at the end of the stance phase of the gait cycle. Future studies should analyse different inlay designs within these ISO standards

Our objectives were to establish the envelope of passive movement and to demonstrate the kinematic behaviour of the knee during standard clinical tests before and after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). An electromagnetic device was used to measure movement of the joint during surgery. Reconstruction of the ACL significantly reduced the overall envelope of tibial rotation (10° to 90° flexion), moved this envelope into external rotation from 0° to 20° flexion, and reduced the anterior position of the tibial plateau (5° to 30° flexion) (p < 0.05 for all). During the pivot-shift test in early flexion there was progressive anterior tibial subluxation with internal rotation. These subluxations reversed suddenly around a mean position of 36 ± 9° of flexion of the knee and consisted of an external tibial rotation of 13 ± 8° combined with a posterior tibial translation of 12 ± 8 mm. This abnormal movement was abolished after reconstruction of the ACL