| MOD-KNEE | Multi-objective study of the human knee biomechanical behavior: High Tibial Osteotomy (HTO) surgical operation |
| Funding agency: | CNRST.TUBITAK |
| Project's coordinator: | A. Barkaoui |
| UIR project's team: | A. BARKAOUI, F. GHANAMEH, M. OULDMOUSSA |
| Budget: | Mobilité |
| Duration : | 2 years (submited, under review) |
| Abstract: | The knee joint is one of the largest and most powerful joints in the human body because it supports enormous loads of weight and pressure, while offering flexible movements. For this reason, the lower limb is conducive to the onset of degenerative diseases, such as femoro-tibial internal osteoarthritis (OA). There are two main treatments of this desase, medical or surgicals. The medical treatment is symptomatic because there is currently no cure for osteoarthritis. It includes weight loss, physical activity, stretching, and professional therapy in order to improve flexibility, reduce stiffness, and reduce pain. Furethoremore, anti-inflammatory drugs for osteoarthritis are available in the form of pills, syrups, creams or lotions, or they are injected into the knee joint. Surgical treatment is a procedure that modifies the excessive forces acting on the damaged tissues, which are used to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. There are three intervention possibilities in surgical treatment, Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty (UKA), Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and High Tibial Osteotomy (HTO). However, the treatment of this highly responsive disease in our society depends on the patients’ characteristics as well as the actual stage either medical or surgical. HTO is a chrgical cost-effectivnes opearion, simple, rapid, and allow dealying the usage of prosthesis, which is highly expenssive and its body placment is delicate and needs to be avoided for youngh people. However, the HTO depends mainly on the surgeons experiences and skills as well as the parameters used in the operation. The main objective of this project is to provide a new and unified methodology for inceasing the opeartion’s success and its lifetime. This methodology is based on two main parts: i) numerical tools and image analysis and ii) biomechanical experimental tests and material development. The main aim is to determine and obtain a good angular correction during HTO surgery in order to ensure a high rate of consolidation. In this perspective, the FEA (Finate Element Analysis) will be carried out with several FE models of the knee joint under well defined loads and boundary conditions. Extensive simulations will be first conducted to study the distribution of the stresses in each component of the articulation of the knee. Furthermore, experimental testing will be carried out to be used during the modeling phase and for validating the simulation results as well. It’s worth noting that, experimental biomechanical tests on artificial bones forming the knee joint will be carried out under various loading conditions. The stress distributions on the whole joint and joint surfaces will be determined before and after HTO surgery. After that, 2 new versions of artificial meniscus tissue will be performed and comparison with already commercially available artificial meniscus (Gelfix) will be carried out. Biomechanical characterization of the tissues will be investigated. Then, Finite element modelling of artificial meniscus will be realized. The main output of this project is a standardized operation by providing anunified methodology supported by an HTO IT-based applications and an automated cutting tool. |
| Consortium: | International University of Rabat (UIR) |
| Website: |
