• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.24 no.2 s.191
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• pp.140-148
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• 2007

THRA(Total Hip Replacement Arthroplasty) has been widely used for several decades as a viable treatment of otherwise-unsolved hip problems. In THRA surgery, cement mantle thickness is critical to long-term implant survival of femoral stem fixed with cement. Numerous studies reported thin or incomplete cement mantle causes osteolysis, loosening, and the failure of implant. To analyze the effect of femoral stem rotation on cement thickness, in this study, we select two most popular stems used in THRA. Using CAD models obtained from a 3D scanner, we measure the cement mantle thickness developed by the rotation of a femoral stem in the virtual space created by broaching. The study shows that as the femoral stem deviates from the target coordinates, the minimum thickness of cement decreases. Therefore, we recommend development of a new methodology for accurate insertion of a femoral stem along the broached space. Also, modification of the stem design robust to the unintentional movement of a femoral stem in the broached space, can alleviate the problem.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.2168-2177
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• 2006

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the specific fracture mechanics response of cracks that initiate at the stem-cement interface and propagate into the cement mantle. Two-dimensional finite element models of idealized stem-cement-bone cross-sections from the proximal femur were developed for this study. Two general stem types were considered; Rectangular shape and Charnley type stem designs. The FE results showed that the highest principal stress in the cement mantle for each case occurred in the upper left and lower right regions adjacent to the stem-cement interface. There was also a general decrease in maximum tensile stress with increasing cement mantle thickness for both Rectangular and Charnley-type stem designs. The cement thickness is found to be one of the important fatigue failure parameters which affect the longevity of cemented femoral components, in which the thinner cement was significantly associated with early mechanical failure for shot-time period.