EFFECTS OF POROUS COATING AND COLLAR SUPPORT ON EARLY LOAD-TRANSFER FOR A CEMENTLESS HIP-PROSTHESIS

We used a new postprocessing method with the results from a three-dime nsional finite element analysis to describe the general load transfer patterns for a cementless hip arthroplasty in the early postoperative situation, and to determine the effects of porous coating [full, parti al (2/3), and none] and calcar-collar support (ideal initial contact w ith separation allowed upon loading, no collar) on this early load tra nsfer. No-tension interfaces were modeled over the entire bone-prosthe sis interface, with an upper bound on the Coulomb-friction over coated surfaces, and zero friction over smooth surfaces to accentuate the fr ictional effects of the coating. The results indicate that the anterop osterior, mediolateral, and axial forces acting on each cross section of the bone were substantially different from the corresponding homeos tatic (no prosthesis) forces for the fully coated device with collar s upport. The frontal bending moments acting on the bone were substantia lly less than the homeostatic values all along the prosthesis, while t he sagittal bending and torsional loads were relatively similar to the homeostatic values. By far, the largest change in these loading patte rns occurred with the loss of collar support, where axial loads acting on the bone were so low that over half the bone was in net tension be cause appreciable transfer of the compressive head force did not occur until well below the lesser trochanter. Both axial and torsional load s were transferred more distally for devices with more coating, and to rsional loading of the bone was also sensitive to the degree of collar support. The frontal bending moments acting over most of the bone wer e insensitive to the coating or collar support. The strain energy dens ity in the endosteal bone was most sensitive to these design variables in the proximal region, and the largest values occurred without a col lar and without coating. These findings indicate that all load compone nts acting on the proximal bone in the early postoperative situation ( no bone-ingrowth or fibrous tissue at the interface) are altered by th e frictional coefficient of the bone-prosthesis interface (i.e. the pr esence of porous coating or some other surface treatment) and the degr ee of collar support, while only the axial and torsional loads are alt ered in the distal bone. From a prosthesis design perspective this imp lies that surface treatments and collar support can be used to control the axial forces and the torsional moments acting all along the bone. By contrast, the distal frontal bending moment, which dominates stres ses in the diaphysis, cannot be altered by these design variables.