Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review
Understanding how structural and functional alterations of individual tissues impact on whole-joint function is challenging, particularly in humans where direct invasive experimentation is difficult. Finite element (FE) computational models produce quantitative predictions of the mechanical and phys...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2018-01-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/4298.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797419529802874880 |
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| author | Abby E. Peters Riaz Akhtar Eithne J. Comerford Karl T. Bates |
| author_facet | Abby E. Peters Riaz Akhtar Eithne J. Comerford Karl T. Bates |
| author_sort | Abby E. Peters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding how structural and functional alterations of individual tissues impact on whole-joint function is challenging, particularly in humans where direct invasive experimentation is difficult. Finite element (FE) computational models produce quantitative predictions of the mechanical and physiological behaviour of multiple tissues simultaneously, thereby providing a means to study changes that occur through healthy ageing and disease such as osteoarthritis (OA). As a result, significant research investment has been placed in developing such models of the human knee. Previous work has highlighted that model predictions are highly sensitive to the various inputs used to build them, particularly the mathematical definition of material properties of biological tissues. The goal of this systematic review is two-fold. First, we provide a comprehensive summation and evaluation of existing linear elastic material property data for human tibiofemoral joint tissues, tabulating numerical values as a reference resource for future studies. Second, we review efforts to model tibiofemoral joint mechanical behaviour through FE modelling with particular focus on how studies have sourced tissue material properties. The last decade has seen a renaissance in material testing fuelled by development of a variety of new engineering techniques that allow the mechanical behaviour of both soft and hard tissues to be characterised at a spectrum of scales from nano- to bulk tissue level. As a result, there now exists an extremely broad range of published values for human tibiofemoral joint tissues. However, our systematic review highlights gaps and ambiguities that mean quantitative understanding of how tissue material properties alter with age and OA is limited. It is therefore currently challenging to construct FE models of the knee that are truly representative of a specific age or disease-state. Consequently, recent tibiofemoral joint FE models have been highly generic in terms of material properties even relying on non-human data from multiple species. We highlight this by critically evaluating current ability to quantitatively compare and model (1) young and old and (2) healthy and OA human tibiofemoral joints. We suggest that future research into both healthy and diseased knee function will benefit greatly from a subject- or cohort-specific approach in which FE models are constructed using material properties, medical imagery and loading data from cohorts with consistent demographics and/or disease states. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:49:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc9c56164a2c48febdd5f709e60bc667 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:49:39Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc9c56164a2c48febdd5f709e60bc6672023-12-03T10:31:03ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-01-016e429810.7717/peerj.4298Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical reviewAbby E. Peters0Riaz Akhtar1Eithne J. Comerford2Karl T. Bates3Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKDepartment of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKDepartment of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKDepartment of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKUnderstanding how structural and functional alterations of individual tissues impact on whole-joint function is challenging, particularly in humans where direct invasive experimentation is difficult. Finite element (FE) computational models produce quantitative predictions of the mechanical and physiological behaviour of multiple tissues simultaneously, thereby providing a means to study changes that occur through healthy ageing and disease such as osteoarthritis (OA). As a result, significant research investment has been placed in developing such models of the human knee. Previous work has highlighted that model predictions are highly sensitive to the various inputs used to build them, particularly the mathematical definition of material properties of biological tissues. The goal of this systematic review is two-fold. First, we provide a comprehensive summation and evaluation of existing linear elastic material property data for human tibiofemoral joint tissues, tabulating numerical values as a reference resource for future studies. Second, we review efforts to model tibiofemoral joint mechanical behaviour through FE modelling with particular focus on how studies have sourced tissue material properties. The last decade has seen a renaissance in material testing fuelled by development of a variety of new engineering techniques that allow the mechanical behaviour of both soft and hard tissues to be characterised at a spectrum of scales from nano- to bulk tissue level. As a result, there now exists an extremely broad range of published values for human tibiofemoral joint tissues. However, our systematic review highlights gaps and ambiguities that mean quantitative understanding of how tissue material properties alter with age and OA is limited. It is therefore currently challenging to construct FE models of the knee that are truly representative of a specific age or disease-state. Consequently, recent tibiofemoral joint FE models have been highly generic in terms of material properties even relying on non-human data from multiple species. We highlight this by critically evaluating current ability to quantitatively compare and model (1) young and old and (2) healthy and OA human tibiofemoral joints. We suggest that future research into both healthy and diseased knee function will benefit greatly from a subject- or cohort-specific approach in which FE models are constructed using material properties, medical imagery and loading data from cohorts with consistent demographics and/or disease states.https://peerj.com/articles/4298.pdfLigamentsBoneFinite elementCartilageHuman kneeMaterial properties |
| spellingShingle | Abby E. Peters Riaz Akhtar Eithne J. Comerford Karl T. Bates Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review PeerJ Ligaments Bone Finite element Cartilage Human knee Material properties |
| title | Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review |
| title_full | Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review |
| title_fullStr | Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review |
| title_short | Tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint: a critical review |
| title_sort | tissue material properties and computational modelling of the human tibiofemoral joint a critical review |
| topic | Ligaments Bone Finite element Cartilage Human knee Material properties |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/4298.pdf |
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