Development and analysis of three-dimensional finite element model of occipito-atlantoaxial complex based on CT data

Objective To establish and validate a three-dimensional finite element model of occipito-atlantoaxial complex.Methods The occipito-atlantoaxial complex CT data were established, and imported into the finite element modeling software. The ligament and the material properties were loaded. The three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model of occipito-atlantoaxial complex was constructed, analyzed and calculated. The calculation results of the activity(ROM) and in vitro experiments were compared with published results of finite element model. Results Three dimensional nonlinear finite element model of the occipito-atlantoaxial complex geometry had good similarity, consisted of 206 747 elements, 72 500 nodes. The results of the finite model and experimental results conformed with Panjabi in vitro measurements and the finite models of Brolin and Zhang. Conclusion The finite elementmodel of occipito-atlantoaxial complex realistically simulates the complex kinematics of the craniocervical region which cansimulate the natural condition and facilitate the further biomechanical research.