Numerical investigations on the biomechanical compatibility of hip-joint endoprostheses

A computational approach for studies on the biomechanical compatibility of hip implants based on detailed three-dimensional finite element models is presented. With the anticipation for a meaningful computational prediction of bone behavior under endoprosthetic treatment a general modeling approach taking into account the model generation from radiological data and the recovery of statically equivalent joint loads and muscle forces from a best fit between simulated and measured bone mass density distribution was developed. Computational results for three different endoprostheses systems are presented and compared with clinical studies. The potential for aiding the development process of new prosthesis designs regarding their biomechanical compatibility is demonstrated.