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Computer Simulation of Fracture Fixation Using Extramedullary Devices: An Appraisal

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Computational Biomechanics for Medicine

Abstract

Extramedullary devices are being extensively employed to treat fractures in normal and diseased bone. Studies conducted in hospitals have shown that there is a wide variability in the manner different surgeons employ these devices for similar fracture types. Clinically, fixation devices are required to be able to: sustain loads; minimise patient discomfort and possible implant loosening; and promote healing. Computer simulation of the mechanical behaviour of these devices can help clinicians in selecting a device and optimising its configuration. Numerical modelling of the mechanical behaviour of bone-fixator constructs has been used in the past to evaluate the performance of these devices with respect to some of the clinical requirements. This Chapter considers the mechanics of some of the most commonly used extramedullary devices, their peculiarities and modelling implications while appraising existing numerical modelling literature that has attempted to address the above clinical demands. It finds that while many of the clinical questions have been answered satisfactorily using simple models, answers to some others require complex and sophisticated modelling approaches.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Alexander Graham Bell Building, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, UK

    Alisdair MacLeod & Pankaj Pankaj

Authors
  1. Alisdair MacLeod
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  2. Pankaj Pankaj
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pankaj Pankaj .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Intelligent Systems for Medicine Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Barry Doyle

  2. Intelligent Systems for Medicine Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Karol Miller

  3. Intelligent Systems for Medicine Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    Adam Wittek

  4. Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Poul M.F. Nielsen

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MacLeod, A., Pankaj, P. (2014). Computer Simulation of Fracture Fixation Using Extramedullary Devices: An Appraisal. In: Doyle, B., Miller, K., Wittek, A., Nielsen, P. (eds) Computational Biomechanics for Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0745-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0745-8_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0744-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0745-8

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