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Intramedullary nails: some design features of the distal end
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 15:58 authored by Chang WangChang Wang, C J Brown, A L Yettram, P ProcterIntramedullary nails are used to stabilise fractures of the proximal femur. The nail acts by transferring loads from the proximal fraction to the rest of the femoral shaft. The way in which this occurs depends to a large extent on the design of the distal end of the nail. This is not dissimilar to the situation with regard to load shedding (or load transfer) from the femoral component of a total hip replacement. A finite element model of a fractured femur with either a neck or a subtrochanteric fracture is set up to investigate the effects of nail length, nail distal stiffness and material stiffness on the structural behaviour of the system. Specifically what is considered is the influence of these parameters on the stress across the fracture and the normal pressure that the nail exerts on the endosteum of the femoral diaphysis. It is found that a longer nail could produce higher contact stress between the tip of the nail and the endosteum. Also, this contact stress is reduced when the distal region of the nail is made more flexible either by incorporating longitudinal slots or by using a material with a lower modulus of elasticity.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Medical Engineering & PhysicsISSN
1350-4533Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Issue
9Volume
25Page range
789-794Department affiliated with
- Engineering and Design Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-10-03Usage metrics
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