The biomechanical changes of load distribution with longitudinal tears of meniscal horns on knee joint: a finite element analysis.
BACKGROUND
Meniscal horns are important structures of meniscus, and longitudinal tears of these places could significantly change the load distribution among the knee joint. Few studies concerned the stress concentrated on bones, which may induce the osteonecrosis of subchondral bone. The goal of this study was to construct a finite element (FE) model with high fidelity of the knee joint and evaluate the biomechanical changes of load distribution of components after longitudinal tears of the horns of meniscus.


METHODS
Computed tomography and magnetic resonance images were used to develop the FE model, and two different kinds of simulations, the vertical and the anterior load, mimicking the static stance and slight flexion simulations, were applied after longitudinal tears of the horns of meniscus.


RESULTS
Significantly elevated peak compressive and shear stress was observed on the menisci, cartilages, and subchondral bones, and enlarged meniscus extrusion was noticed. Between all the four types of longitudinal tears investigated in this study, longitudinal tears at the posterior horn of the medial meniscus were found to be the most significant.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings showed that longitudinal tears of the meniscal horns lead to increased magnitude and changed distribution of stress and indicated the important role of posterior horn of medial meniscus. This may contribute to the mechanism between meniscal tears and spontaneous subchondral bone osteonecrosis.
['Zhang|Kaijia|K|', 'Li|Lan|L|', 'Yang|Longfei|L|', 'Shi|Jianping|J|', 'Zhu|Liya|L|', 'Liang|Huixin|H|', 'Wang|Xingsong|X|', 'Yang|Xianfeng|X|', 'Jiang|Qing|Q|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2552-9686']
D000328:Adult D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena D005260:Female D020342:Finite Element Analysis D006801:Humans D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional D007719:Knee Joint D008297:Male D008592:Menisci, Tibial D008875:Middle Aged D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries D016474:Weight-Bearing
Longitudinal tear Finite element analysis Meniscus Subchondral bone osteonecrosis