Theoretical and experimental investigation of cartilage replacement material for medical applications

Soft tissues are commonly applied in surgery to replace the injured articular cartilage. Many biological researches were carried out through mechanical and histological experiments. They focus on the function, degeneration and regeneration of the articular cartilage and fibrocartilage. The aim of the presented work is to develop a method to characterize the mechanical properties of different kinds of soft tissues and to trace the evolution of elastic properties in implants during the remodeling process. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)