Scientists invent 3D-printed model to evaluate broken knee
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) Scientists have created a new, low-cost approach to build a knee model for studying knee pain and impaired mobility.
The reconstructed knee model closely simulates the movement of the patella (kneecap) observed in cadaver knee models.
Because the kneecap acts like a shield for knee joint, it can easily be broken. Falling directly onto the knee is a common cause of patellar fractures.
Researchers Gian Luca Gervasi, Roberto Tiribuzi and a team from the University of Ioannina, Greece and Giuliano Cerulli from Universit… Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy used a motion tracking system to measure the position of the patella as different loads and forces were applied to the knee model at various degrees of flexion, Medical Xpress reported.
They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a real knee to develop the computer-aided design software files used by a 3D printer to create the three main components of the knee and a navigation system for combining them with artificial ligaments and a tendon.
