UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Effect of amputation level on the stress transferred to the femur by an artificial limb directly attached to the bone

Newcombe, L; Dewar, M; Blunn, GW; Fromme, P; (2013) Effect of amputation level on the stress transferred to the femur by an artificial limb directly attached to the bone. Medical Engineering & Physics , 35 (12) pp. 1744-1753. 10.1016/j.medengphy.2013.07.007. Green open access

[thumbnail of Blunn_Paper 2013 Newcombe Dewar Blunn Fromme FEA - Repository.pdf]
Preview
Text
Blunn_Paper 2013 Newcombe Dewar Blunn Fromme FEA - Repository.pdf

Download (514kB) | Preview

Abstract

Attachment of an artificial limb directly to the skeleton has a number of potential benefits and the technique has been implemented for several amputation sites. In this paper the transfer of stress from an external, transfemoral prosthesis to the femur during normal walking activity is investigated. The stress distribution in the femur and at the implant-bone interface is calculated using finite element analysis for the 3D geometry and inhomogeneous, anisotropic material properties obtained from a CT scan of a healthy femur. Attachment of the prosthetic leg at three different levels of amputation is considered. Stress concentrations are found at the distal end of the bone and adjacent to the implant tip and stress shielding is observed adjacent to the implant. It is found that the stress distribution in the femur distal to the epiphysis, where the femur geometry is close to cylindrical, can be predicted from a cylindrical finite element model, using the correct choice of bone diameter as measured from a radiograph. Proximal to the lesser trochanter the stress decreases as the femur geometry diverges significantly from a cylinder. The stress concentration at the distal, resected end of the bone is removed when a collared implant is employed. These findings form the basis for appropriate settings of an external fail-safe device to protect the bone from excessive stress in the event of an undue load.

Type: Article
Title: Effect of amputation level on the stress transferred to the femur by an artificial limb directly attached to the bone
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2013.07.007
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2013.07.007
Language: English
Additional information: © 2013. This manuscript version is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This licence allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licences are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.
Keywords: FEA, Prosthesis, Transfemoral amputation
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1377376
Downloads since deposit
255Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item