Presentation
In vitro Method to Quantify and Visualize Mechanical Wear in Human Meniscus Subjected to Joint Loading
Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference
(2021)
Abstract
The menisci are fibrocartilaginous soft tissues that absorb and distribute 40-70% of loads across the knee joint. Overtime, repetitive physical activity contributes to meniscus degeneration; a retrogressive breakdown of fibrous tissue that affects over half of individuals above 70 years of age. These microstructural changes to the collagen fiber networks increase the risk of multiplanar tears, pain, joint instability, and progression of osteoarthritis. In order to advance prevention and intervention strategies for meniscal degeneration, it is imperative to characterize the wear behavior of whole meniscus to identify loading conditions and activities that cause rapid meniscus wear.
Â
A challenge in characterizing meniscus wear is the lack of an established technology. Pin-on-plate and pendulum systems are common techniques used to measure wear in biological materials, however, these methods are limited to small sectioned specimens and are not suitable for whole complex structures. Alternatively, micro-CT and MRI can image whole soft tissue, yet these methods are time consuming, costly, and have insufficient resolution to quantify microscale defects. A novel approach to measuring tissue wear is through 3D optical scanning, which creates 3D reconstructions of complex objects. While 3D optical scanning has successfully measured polymer wear in hip implants4, no study has developed a method to use this technology to measure wear in meniscus, or any soft tissue. The objective of this study was to develop an in vitro method to characterize volumetric wear in whole human meniscus subjected to joint loading.
Disciplines
Publication Date
June 16, 2021
Location
Virtual
Citation Information
Kate J. Benfield, Zachary A. Pinkley, Katherine A. Hollar, Kirk J. Lewis, et al.. "In vitro Method to Quantify and Visualize Mechanical Wear in Human Meniscus Subjected to Joint Loading" Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport Conference (2021) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/trevor_lujan/44/