The metacarpophalangeal joint is vital for hand function. It is frequently affected by rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and in some cases the diseased joint is replaced with an implant. The past and current metacarpophalangeal joint replacements can be divided into three main categories: hinge implants, flexible implants and surface replacement implants. There is some frustration among hand surgeons as these implants fail in vivo in comparison with the replacement of larger joints such as the hip or knee. The aim of this study was a new design concept for the replacement of the diseased metacarpophalangeal joint. The biomechanics of the diseased rather than the normal metacarpophalangeal joint have been considered during the design requirements procedure. Retrospective analysis of the past and present designs has been considered. Following selection of the concept of the new metacarpophalangeal joint replacement design well established methods like lubrication analysis and contact stress analysis studies, laboratory wear tests and finite element analysis studies have been used for the evaluation of the final design. In this study a new metacarpophalangeal joint replacement has been proposed. The new implant is intended to provide a functional range of motion, sustain the forces that a diseased joint experiences and provide pain relief for the patient. The new proposed metacarpophalangeal joint replacement design tries to combine the benefits of a one piece flexible implant with those of a surface replacement implant design that utilizes the soft layered concept which has been proposed for larger synovial joints
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:523416 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Pylios, Theodoros |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/1004/ |
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