Numerical and Experimental Assessment of a Novel Anchored for Intramedullary Telescopic Nails Used in Osteogenesis Imperfecta Fractures

Abstract

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (IO) is a bone disease mainly characterized by the low bone density that produces common fractures in children around 0–7 years. The use of metal implants is a typical treatment of this disease. The intramedullary telescopic nail (ITN) was inspired by the progressive growth in the long bones such as the femur or humerus during children’s aging. This work shows an experimental assessment of the ITN’s, focusing on their fixation; the proposed improvements in the design of the intramedullary nail studied include the separation of the element into two parts for telescopic enlargement, minimal invasive fixation through the distal anchorage, and the double auto-drilled end for fixation on the distal and proximal section of the bone. The samples were manufactured in 316 L steel and mounted on specialized jaws to replicate the implants’ boundary conditions. The experimental test was repeated three times to report the intramedullary telescopic nail’s behavior at three lengths. The results show that the device supports only 79.06 N when not at extension length. However, if the device is extended 150% it will support 46.87 N which suggests that intramedullary telescopic nails can only increase by 25% of their original length before they fail.

Bone Fractures Numerical Analysis in a Femur Affected by Osteogenesis Imperfecta

“…The 3D modeling of bone tissue, in conjunction with the finite element method, has become a valuable tool in the orthopedic area since it helps to: determine the structural composition of the bone, predict the behavior of the bone subjected to various external agents, and design and optimize surgical implants [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Bone fractures can be simulated using tomography studies imported to software that computes the finite element method FEA, and they can differ from each other depending on the methodology used to carry out bone characterization and analysis [ 19 ].…”