FIBER-BASED ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT MODEL FOR BIOMECHANICAL SIMULATIONS

Although accurate predictions of the behavior and function of the ante rior cruciate ligament would aid in diagnosis and operative treatment, no agreement exists on the best way to model the ligament with a reli able description of its mechanical and geometric features. We propose a new model of the anterior cruciate ligament based on multiple viscoe lastic curvilinear fibers. This model was used for quasi-static simula tions of the passive motion of eight porcine knees, after registration of the passive trajectories and digitization of the surface of the li gament in flexion. Simulations of anterior cruciate ligament deformati ons during passive motion predicted a fiber strain of less than 20%, l ow insertion forces, and isometric anterior fibers. The model explains actions of the ligament fibers, as reported in the literature, better than classic models based on linear fibers and consistent with the me chanical properties of the anterior cruciate ligament.