Over 2 million people in the UK are affected by osteoarthritis or osteoporosis. More than 90 per cent are over 60 years old, and this will rise in line with life expectancy. By 2010, the number of sufferers in the UK could rise by 20 per cent. The projected increase in total hip replacement operations will add £250 million to the NHS's costs.
This project was designed to be a first step in developing tools that could reduce the failure rate of hip replacement implants, thereby significantly reducing both health risks to patients and costs for the NHS, while helping UK companies to address the world’s orthopaedic market of £9 billion with improved products. Led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the collaborators set out to explore whether 3D computer models generated from patient specific scans could be used to assess bone strength and predict how successful the integration of bone and implants had been.
During the study, real human femurs, prosthetic implants and simulated 3D computer models were subjected to a variety of load-bearing tests and the results were compared. The results showed good correlation between the real bone or implant and the corresponding computer simulation. The collaborators are now considering further work to predict how a particular implant will perform in an individual's body.
National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Abaqus UK Ltd, CH Medical Ltd, Simpleware Ltd, Stryker Howmedica OsteonicsYale Systems Ltd, NHS: Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Centre Exeter
This project was funded through the DTI's National Measurement System.