Contact Analyses of the Patellofemoral Components in Total Knee Arthroplasty

Despite the fact that total knee arthroplasty has become the major treatment for degenerative arthritis, damage to the patellar components remains an unsolved problem as the weight and the postures of a patient keep bringing about stresses on specific points, lines and planes between the patellar and the femoral components and thus lead to the wear and breakage of the former or even an additional knee arthroplasty surgery in a critical situation. To fulfill the need to have an in-depth examination on the contact behavior of the patellofemoral components, the current study conducted in vitro simulation on patellofemoral components with varied designs to mimic different real-life knee flexion angles and to explore the contact behavior in the patellofemoral components. The results of the study showed a higher stability in onlay patellar component when compared to inset patellar component at different knee flexion angles.