Imperial College London

DrUlrichHansen

Faculty of EngineeringDepartment of Mechanical Engineering

Senior Lecturer
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 7061u.hansen

 
 
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Location

 

714City and Guilds BuildingSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Publication Type
Year
to

100 results found

Ajdari N, Tempelaere C, Masouleh MI, Abel R, Delfosse D, Emery R, Dini D, Hansen Uet al., 2020, Hemiarthroplasties: the choice of prosthetic material causes different levels of damage in the articular cartilage, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Vol: 29, Pages: 1019-1029, ISSN: 1058-2746

Background Hemiarthroplasty has clear advantages over alternative procedures and is used in 20% of all shoulder joint replacements. Because of cartilage wear, the clinical outcome of hemiarthroplasty is unreliable and controversial. This paper suggests that the optimal choice of prosthetic material may reduce cartilage degeneration and improve the reliability of the procedure. The specific objectives were to assess 3 materials and assess how the severity of arthritis might affect the choice of prosthetic material. Methods A CoCr alloy, an AL2O3 ceramic, and a polycarbonate urethane polymer (PCU) were mechanically tested against 5 levels of human osteoarthritic cartilage (from intact to severely arthritic, n = 45). A high friction coefficient, a decrease in Young's modulus, an increase in permeability, a decrease in relaxation time, an increase in surface roughness, and a disrupted appearance of the cartilage after testing were used as measures of cartilage damage. The biomaterial that caused minimal cartilage damage was defined as superior. Results The CoCr caused the most damage. This was followed by the AL2O3 ceramic, whereas the PCU caused the least amount of damage. Although the degree of arthritis had an effect on the results, it did not change the trend that CoCr performed worst and PCU the best. Discussion and Conclusion This study indicates that ceramic implants may be a better choice than metals, and the articulating surface should be as smooth as possible. Although our results indicate that the degree of arthritis should not affect the choice of prosthetic material, this suggestion needs to be further investigated.

Journal article

Clark J, Garbout A, Rodrigues Mendes Ferreira S, Javaheri B, Pitsillides A, Rankin S, Jeffers J, Hansen Uet al., 2020, Propagation phase-contrast micro-computed tomography allows laboratory-based three-dimensional imaging of articular cartilage down to the cellular level, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol: 28, Pages: 102-111, ISSN: 1063-4584

ObjectiveHigh-resolution non-invasive three-dimensional (3D) imaging of chondrocytes in articular cartilage remains elusive. The aim of this study was to explore whether laboratory micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) permits imaging cells within articular cartilage.DesignBovine osteochondral plugs were prepared four ways: in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or 70% ethanol (EtOH), both with or without phosphotungstic acid (PTA) staining. Specimens were imaged with micro-CT following two protocols: 1) absorption contrast (AC) imaging 2) propagation phase-contrast (PPC) imaging. All samples were scanned in liquid. The contrast to noise ratio (C/N) of cellular features quantified scan quality and were statistically analysed. Cellular features resolved by micro-CT were validated by standard histology.ResultsThe highest quality images were obtained using propagation phase-contrast imaging and PTA-staining in 70% EtOH. Cellular features were also visualised when stained in PBS and unstained in EtOH. Under all conditions PPC resulted in greater contrast than AC (p < 0.0001 to p = 0.038). Simultaneous imaging of cartilage and subchondral bone did not impede image quality. Corresponding features were located in both histology and micro-CT and followed the same distribution with similar density and roundness values.ConclusionsThree-dimensional visualisation and quantification of the chondrocyte population within articular cartilage can be achieved across a field of view of several millimetres using laboratory-based micro-CT. The ability to map chondrocytes in 3D opens possibilities for research in fields from skeletal development through to medical device design and treatment of cartilage degeneration.

Journal article

Boughton O, Ma S, Cai X, Yan L, Peralta L, Laugier P, Marrow J, Giuliani F, Hansen U, Abel R, Grimal Q, Cobb Jet al., 2019, Computed tomography porosity and spherical indentation for determining cortical bone millimetre-scale mechanical properties, Scientific Reports, Vol: 9, ISSN: 2045-2322

The cortex of the femoral neck is a key structural element of the human body, yet there is not a reliable metric for predicting the mechanical properties of the bone in this critical region. This study explored the use of a range of non-destructive metrics to measure femoral neck cortical bone stiffness at the millimetre length scale. A range of testing methods and imaging techniques were assessed for their ability to measure or predict the mechanical properties of cortical bone samples obtained from the femoral neck of hip replacement patients. Techniques that can potentially be applied in vivo to measure bone stiffness, including computed tomography (CT), bulk wave ultrasound (BWUS) and indentation, were compared against in vitro techniques, including compression testing, density measurements and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. Porosity, as measured by micro-CT, correlated with femoral neck cortical bone’s elastic modulus and ultimate compressive strength at the millimetre length scale. Large-tip spherical indentation also correlated with bone mechanical properties at this length scale but to a lesser extent. As the elastic mechanical properties of cortical bone correlated with porosity, we would recommend further development of technologies that can safely measure cortical porosity in vivo.Introduction

Journal article

Kedgley AE, Saw TH, Segal NA, Hansen UN, Bull AMJ, Masouros SDet al., 2019, Predicting meniscal tear stability across knee-joint flexion using finite-element analysis, Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, Vol: 27, Pages: 206-214, ISSN: 0942-2056

Purpose: To analyse the stress distribution through longitudinal and radial meniscal tears in three tear locations in weight-bearing conditions and use it to ascertain the impact of tear location and type on the potential for healing of meniscal tears. Methods: Subject-specific finite-element models of a healthy knee under static loading at 0°, 20°, and 30° knee flexion were developed from unloaded magnetic resonance images and weight-bearing, contrast-enhanced computed tomography images. Simulations were then run after introducing tears into the anterior, posterior, and midsections of the menisci. Results: Absolute differences between the displacements of anterior and posterior segments modelled in the intact state and those quantified from in vivo weight-bearing images were less than 0.5 mm. There were tear-location-dependent differences between hoop stress distributions along the inner and outer surfaces of longitudinal tears; the longitudinal tear surfaces were compressed together to the greatest degree in the lateral meniscus and were most consistently in compression on the midsections of both menisci. Radial tears resulted in an increase in stress at the tear apex and in a consistent small compression of the tear surfaces throughout the flexion range when in the posterior segment of the lateral meniscus. Conclusions: Both the type of meniscal tear and its location within the meniscus influenced the stresses on the tear surfaces under weight bearing. Results agree with clinical observations and suggest reasons for the inverse correlation between longitudinal tear length and healing, the inferior healing ability of medial compared with lateral menisci, and the superior healing ability of radial tears in the posterior segment of the lateral meniscus compared with other radial tears. This study has shown that meniscal tear location in addition to type likely plays a crucial role in dictating the success of non-operative treatment of the menisci. T

Journal article

Junaid S, Gregory T, Fetherston S, Emery R, Amis AA, Hansen Uet al., 2018, Cadaveric study validating in vitro monitoring techniques to measure the failure mechanism of glenoid implants against clinical CT, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Vol: 36, Pages: 2524-2532, ISSN: 0736-0266

Definite glenoid implant loosening is identifiable on radiographs, however, identifying early loosening still eludes clinicians. Methods to monitor glenoid loosening in vitro have not been validated to clinical imaging. This study investigates the correlation between in vitro measures and CT images. Ten cadaveric scapulae were implanted with a pegged glenoid implant and fatigue tested to failure. Each scapulae were cyclically loaded superiorly and CT scanned every 20,000 cycles until failure to monitor progressive radiolucent lines. Superior and inferior rim displacements were also measured. A finite element (FE) model of one scapula was used to analyze the interfacial stresses at the implant/cement and cement/bone interfaces. All ten implants failed inferiorly at the implant-cement interface, two also failed at the cement-bone interface inferiorly, and three showed superior failure. Failure occurred at of 80,966 ± 53,729 (mean ± SD) cycles. CT scans confirmed failure of the fixation, and in most cases, was observed either before or with visual failure. Significant correlations were found between inferior rim displacement, vertical head displacement and failure of the glenoid implant. The FE model showed peak tensile stresses inferiorly and high compressive stresses superiorly, corroborating experimental findings. In vitro monitoring methods correlated to failure progression in clinical CT images possibly indicating its capacity to detect loosening earlier for earlier clinical intervention if needed. Its use in detecting failure non-destructively for implant development and testing is also valuable. The study highlights failure at the implant-cement interface and early signs of failure are identifiable in CT images. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Orthopaedic Research Society. J Orthop Res 9999:XX-XX, 2018.

Journal article

Zhao S, Arnold M, Ma S, Abel R, Cobb J, Hansen U, Boughton ORet al., 2018, Standardising compression testing for measuring the stiffness of human bone: a systematic review, Bone and Joint Research, Vol: 7, Pages: 524-538, ISSN: 2046-3758

Objectives: The ability to determine human bone stiffness is of clinical relevance in many fields, including bone quality assessment and orthopaedic prosthesis design. Stiffness can be measured using compression testing; an experimental technique commonly used to test bone specimens in vitro. This systematic review aims to determine how best to perform compression testing of human bone. Methods: A keyword search of all English language articles up until December 2017 of compression testing of bone was undertaken in Medline, Embase, PubMed and Scopus databases. Studies using bulk tissue, animal tissue, whole bone or testing techniques other than compression testing were excluded. Results: 4712 abstracts were retrieved with a total of 177 papers included in the analysis. 20 studies directly analysed the compression testing technique to improve the accuracy of the testing technique. Several influencing factors should be considered when testing bone samples in compression. These include the method of data analysis, specimen storage, specimen preparation, testing configuration and loading protocol. Conclusions: Compression testing is a widely used technique for measuring the stiffness of bone but there is a great deal of inter-study variation in experimental techniques across the literature. Based on best evidence from the literature, suggestions for bone compression testing are made in this review, though further studies are needed to help establish standardised bone testing techniques to increase the comparability and reliability of bone stiffness studies.

Journal article

Boughton OR, Ma S, Zhao S, Arnold M, Lewis A, Hansen U, Cobb J, Giuliani F, Abel Ret al., 2018, Measuring bone stiffness using spherical indentation, PLoS ONE, Vol: 13, ISSN: 1932-6203

ObjectivesBone material properties are a major determinant of bone health in older age, both in terms of fracture risk and implant fixation, in orthopaedics and dentistry. Bone is an anisotropic and hierarchical material so its measured material properties depend upon the scale of metric used. The scale used should reflect the clinical problem, whether it is fracture risk, a whole bone problem, or implant stability, at the millimetre-scale. Indentation, an engineering technique involving pressing a hard-tipped material into another material with a known force, may be able to assess bone stiffness at the millimetre-scale (the apparent elastic modulus). We aimed to investigate whether spherical-tip indentation could reliably measure the apparent elastic modulus of human cortical bone.Materials and methodsCortical bone samples were retrieved from the femoral necks of nineteen patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery (10 females, 9 males, mean age: 69 years). The samples underwent indentation using a 1.5 mm diameter, ruby, spherical indenter tip, with sixty indentations per patient sample, across six locations on the bone surfaces, with ten repeated indentations at each of the six locations. The samples then underwent mechanical compression testing. The repeatability of indentation measurements of elastic modulus was assessed using the co-efficient of repeatability and the correlation between the bone elastic modulus measured by indentation and compression testing was analysed by least-squares regression.ResultsIn total, 1140 indentations in total were performed. Indentation was found to be repeatable for indentations performed at the same locations on the bone samples with a mean co-efficient of repeatability of 0.4 GigaPascals (GPa), confidence interval (C.I): 0.33–0.42 GPa. There was variation in the indentation modulus results between different locations on the bone samples (mean co-efficient of repeatability: 3.1 GPa, C.I: 2.2–3.90 GPa). No cle

Journal article

Jin A, Cobb JP, Hansen U, Bhattacharya R, Reinhard C, Vo N, Atwood R, Li J, Abel RLet al., 2017, The effect of long term bisphosphonate therapy on trabecular bone strength and microcrack density, Bone & Joint Research, Vol: 6, Pages: 602-609, ISSN: 2046-3758

ObjectivesBisphosphonates (BP) are the first-line treatment for preventing fragility fractures. However, concern regarding the efficacy is growing because bisphosphonate is associated with over-suppression of remodelling and accumulation of microcracks. While DEXA scanning may show a gain in bone density the impact of this class of drug on mechanical properties remains unclear. We therefore sought to quantify the mechanical strength of bone treated with BP (oral alendronate for this study), and correlate this with the microarchitecture and density of microcracks in comparison with untreated controls. MethodsTrabecular bone from hip-fracture patients treated with BP (n=10) was compared to naïve fractured (n=14) and non-fractured controls (n=6). Trabecular cores were synchrotron and micro-CT scanned for microstructural analysis including quantification of bone volume fraction, micro-architecture and microcracks, then mechanically tested in compression. ResultsBP bone was 28% lower in strength than untreated hip-fracture bone and 48% lower in strength than and non-fracture control bone (4.6 vs 6.4 vs 8.9 MPa). BP treated bone had 24% more microcracks than naïve fractured bone and 51% more than non-fractured control (8.12 vs 6.55 vs 5.25 /cm2). BP and naïve fracture bone exhibited similar trabecular microarchitecture, with significantly lower bone volume fraction and connectivity than non-fractured controls. ConclusionsBP therapy had no detectable mechanical benefit. Instead its use was associated with substantially reduced bone strength. This low strength was probably due to the greater accumulation of microcracks and a lack of any discernible improvement in bone volume or microarchitecture. This preliminary study suggests that the clinical impact of BP induced microcrack accumulation may be substantial and long term.

Journal article

Arnold M, Zhao S, Ma S, Giuliani F, Hansen U, Cobb JP, Abel RL, Boughton ORet al., 2017, Microindentation: a tool for measuring cortical bone stiffness? A systematic review, Bone & Joint Research, Vol: 6, Pages: 542-549, ISSN: 2046-3758

Objectives: Microindentation hasthe potential to measuretheelasticity(stiffness)of individualpatients’bone. Bone elasticity plays a crucial role in the press-fit stability of orthopaedic implants.Arming surgeons with accuratebone elasticityinformation may reduce surgical complicationsincluding peri-prosthetic fractures. The question we address with this systematicreview is whether microindentation can accurately measure cortical bone stiffness.Methods: A systematic review of all English language articles using a keyword search was undertaken in Medline, Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases. Studies thatonly used nanoindentation, cancellous boneoranimal tissue were excluded.Results: 1094abstracts were retrieved and 32papers were included in the analysis, 20 of which used reference point indentation and 12of which used traditional depth sensing indentation.There are a number of factors thatmust be taken into account when using microindentation such as tip size, depth and method of analysis.Only two studies validated microindentation againsttraditional mechanical testing techniques. Bothstudies used reference point indentation(RPI) with one showing that RPI parameters correlate well with mechanical testing, butanother suggestedthatthey do not. Conclusion: Microindentation has been used in various studies to assess bone elasticity but only two studies with conflicting results compared microindentation to traditional mechanical testing techniques. Further research,includingmore studies comparingmicroindentationto other mechanical testing methodsare needed,before microindentation can be reliably used to calculate cortical bone stiffness.

Journal article

Ridzwan M, Sukjamsri C, Pal B, van Arkel R, Bell A, Khanna M, Baskaradas A, Abel R, Boughton O, Cobb J, Hansen Uet al., 2017, Femoral fracture type can be predicted from femoral structure: a finite element study validated by digital volume correlation experiments, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Vol: 36, Pages: 993-1001, ISSN: 1554-527X

Proximal femoral fractures can be categorized into two main types: Neck and intertrochanteric fractures accounting for 53% and 43% of all proximal femoral fractures, respectively. The possibility to predict the type of fracture a specific patient is predisposed to would allow drug and exercise therapies, hip protector design, and prophylactic surgery to be better targeted for this patient rendering fracture preventing strategies more effective. This study hypothesized that the type of fracture is closely related to the patient-specific femoral structure and predictable by finite element (FE) methods. Fourteen femora were DXA scanned, CT scanned, and mechanically tested to fracture. FE-predicted fracture patterns were compared to experimentally observed fracture patterns. Measurements of strain patterns to explain neck and intertrochanteric fracture patterns were performed using a digital volume correlation (DVC) technique and compared to FE-predicted strains and experimentally observed fracture patterns. Although loaded identically, the femora exhibited different fracture types (six neck and eight intertrochanteric fractures). CT-based FE models matched the experimental observations well (86%) demonstrating that the fracture type can be predicted. DVC-measured and FE-predicted strains showed obvious consistency. Neither DXA-based BMD nor any morphologic characteristics such as neck diameter, femoral neck length, or neck shaft angle were associated with fracture type. In conclusion, patient-specific femoral structure correlates with fracture type and FE analyses were able to predict these fracture types. Also, the demonstration of FE and DVC as metrics of the strains in bones may be of substantial clinical value, informing treatment strategies and device selection and design.

Journal article

Junaid S, Sanghavi S, Anglin C, Bull A, Emery R, Amis AA, Hansen Uet al., 2017, Treatment of the Fixation Surface Improves Glenoid Prosthesis Longevity in vitro., Journal of Biomechanics, Vol: 61, Pages: 81-87, ISSN: 0021-9290

Many commercial cemented glenoid components claim superior fixation designs and increased survivability. However, both research and clinical studies have shown conflicting results and it is unclear whether these design variations do improve loosening rates. Part of the difficulty in investigating fixation failure is the inability to directly observe the fixation interface, a problem addressed in this study by using a novel experimental set-up. Cyclic loading-displacement tests were carried out on 60 custom-made glenoid prostheses implanted into a bone substitute. Design parameters investigated included treatment of the fixation surface of the component resulting in different levels of back-surface roughness, flat-back versus curved-back, keel versus peg and more versus less conforming implants. Visually-observed failure and ASTM-recommended rim-displacements were recorded throughout testing to investigate fixation failure and if rim displacement is an appropriate measure of loosening. Roughening the implant back (Ra>3µm) improved resistance to failure (P<0.005) by an order of magnitude with the rough and smooth groups failing at 8712±5584 cycles (mean±SD) and 1080±1197 cycles, respectively. All other design parameters had no statistically significant effect on the number of cycles to failure. All implants failed inferiorly and 95% (57/60) at the implant/cement interface. Rim-displacement correlated with visually observed failure. The most important effect was that of roughening the implant, which strengthened the polyethylene-cement interface. Rim-displacement can be used as an indicator of fixation failure, but the sensitivity was insufficient to capture subtle effects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Basic Science Study, Biomechanical Analysis.

Journal article

Geraldes D, Hansen U, Jeffers J, Amis Aet al., 2017, The stability of small pegs for cementless implant fixation, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Vol: 35, Pages: 2765-2772, ISSN: 1554-527X

Most glenoid implants rely on large centrally located fixation features to avoid perforation of the glenoid vault in its peripheral regions. Upon revision of such components there may not be enough bone left for the reinsertion of an anatomical prosthesis. Multiple press-fit small pegs would allow for less bone resection and strong anchoring in the stiffer and denser peripheral subchondral bone. This study assessed the fixation characteristics, measured as the push-in (Pin) and pull-out (Pout) forces, and spring-back, measured as the elastic displacement immediately after insertion, for five different small press-fitted peg configurations manufactured out of UHMWPE cylinders (5 mm diameter and length). A total of 16 specimens for each configuration were tested in two types of solid bone substitute: Hard (40 PCF, 0.64 g/cm3, worst-case scenario of Pin) and soft (15 PCF, 0.24 g/cm3, worst-case scenario of spring-back and Pout). Two different diametric interference-fits were studied. Geometries with lower stiffness fins (large length to width aspect ratio) were the best performing designs in terms of primary fixation stability. They required the lowest force to fully seat, meaning they are less damaging to the bone during implantation, while providing the highest Pout/Pin ratio, indicating that when implanted they provide the strongest anchoring for the glenoid component. It is highlighted that drilling of chamfered holes could minimize spring-back displacements. These findings are relevant for the design of implants press-fitted pegs because primary fixation has been shown to be an important factor in achieving osseointegration and longevity of secondary fixation.

Journal article

Geraldes DM, Hansen U, Amis AA, 2017, Parametric analysis of glenoid implant design and fixation type, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Vol: 35, Pages: 775-784, ISSN: 1554-527X

Common post-operative problems in shoulder arthroplasty such as glenoid loosening and joint instability may be reduced by improvements in glenoid design, shape, material choice and fixation method. A framework for parametric analysis of different implant fixation configurations was developed in order to efficiently sift through potential glenoid component designs and investigate the influence of design factors such as fixation type, component thickness and peg position, number, diameter and length in a multi-factorial design investigation. The proposed method allowed for simultaneous comparison of the performance of 344 different parametric variations of 10 different reference geometries with large central fixation features or small peripheral pegs, undergoing four different worst-case scenario loading conditions, averaging 64.7 seconds per model. The impact of design parameters were assessed for different factors responsible for post-operative problems in shoulder arthroplasty, such as bone volume preservation, stresses in the implant, central displacement or fixation stability, and the worst performing geometries all relied on conventional central fixation. Of the remaining geometries, four peripheral fixation configurations produced von Mises stresses comfortably below the material's yield strength. We show that the developed method allows for simple, direct, rapid and repeatable comparison of different design features, material choices or fixation methods by analyzing how they influence the bone-implant mechanical environment. The proposed method can provide valuable insight in implant design optimization by screening through multiple potential design modifications at an early design evaluation stage and highlighting the best performing combinations according to the failure mechanism to mitigate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Journal article

Ma S, Goh EL, Jin A, Bhattacharya R, Boughton O, Patel B, Karunaratne A, Vo NT, Atwood R, Cobb J, Hansen U, Abel Ret al., 2017, Long-term effects of bisphosphonate therapy: perforations, microcracks and mechanical properties, Scientific Reports, Vol: 7, Pages: 1-10, ISSN: 2045-2322

Osteoporosis is characterised by trabecular bone loss resulting from increased osteoclast activation and unbalanced coupling between resorption and formation, which induces a thinning of trabeculae and trabecular perforations. Bisphosphonates are the frontline therapy for osteoporosis, which act by reducing bone remodelling, and are thought to prevent perforations and maintain microstructure. However, bisphosphonates may oversuppress remodelling resulting in accumulation of microcracks. This paper aims to investigate the effect of bisphosphonate treatment on microstructure and mechanical strength. Assessment of microdamage within the trabecular bone core was performed using synchrotron X-ray micro-CT linked to image analysis software. Bone from bisphosphonate-treated fracture patients exhibited fewer perforations but more numerous and larger microcracks than both fracture and non-fracture controls. Furthermore, bisphosphonate-treated bone demonstrated reduced tensile strength and Young’s Modulus. These findings suggest that bisphosphonate therapy is effective at reducing perforations but may also cause microcrack accumulation, leading to a loss of microstructural integrity and consequently, reduced mechanical strength.

Journal article

Boughton OR, Zhao S, Arnold M, Ma S, Cobb JP, Giuliani F, Hansen U, Abel RLet al., 2017, Measuring bone stiffness using microindentation, British Orthopaedic Research Society (BORS) 2016 Conference, Publisher: British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery, Pages: 31-31, ISSN: 2049-4416

Conference paper

Ma S, Goh EL, Patel B, Jin A, Boughton O, Cobb J, Hansen U, Abel RLet al., 2016, Are the cracks starting to appear in bisphosphonate therapy?, British Orthopaedic Research Society (BORS) 2016 Conference, Publisher: British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery, Pages: 53-53, ISSN: 2049-4416

Conference paper

Ma S, Boughton O, Karunaratne A, Jin A, Cobb JP, Hansen U, Abel RLet al., 2016, Synchrotron imaging assessment of bone quality, Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism, Vol: 14, Pages: 150-160, ISSN: 1559-0119

Bone is a complex hierarchical structure and its principal function is to resist mechanical forces and fracture. Bone strength depends not only on the quantity of bone tissue but also on the shape and hierarchical structure. The hierarchical levels are interrelated, especially the micro-architecture, collagen and mineral components; hence analysis of their specific roles in bone strength and stiffness is difficult. Synchrotron imaging technologies including micro-CT and small/wide angle X-Ray scattering/diffraction are becoming increasingly popular for studying bone because the images can resolve deformations in the micro-architecture and collagen-mineral matrix under in situ mechanical loading. Synchrotron cannot be directly applied in-vivo due to the high radiation dose but will allow researchers to carry out systematic multifaceted studies of bone ex-vivo. Identifying characteristics of aging and disease will underpin future efforts to generate novel devices and interventional therapies for assessing and promoting healthy aging. With our own research work as examples, this paper introduces how synchrotron imaging technology can be used with in-situ testing in bone research.

Journal article

Hansen UN, 2016, Dynamic three-dimensional shoulder MRI during active motion for investigation of rotator cuff diseases, PLOS One, Vol: 11, ISSN: 1932-6203

BackgroundMRI is the standard methodology in diagnosis of rotator cuff diseases. However, many patients continue to have pain despite treatment, and MRI of a static unloaded shoulder seems insufficient for best diagnosis and treatment. This study evaluated if Dynamic MRI provides novel kinematic data that can be used to improve the understanding, diagnosis and best treatment of rotator cuff diseases.MethodsDynamic MRI provided real-time 3D image series and was used to measure changes in the width of subacromial space, superior-inferior translation and anterior-posterior translation of the humeral head relative to the glenoid during active abduction. These measures were investigated for consistency with the rotator cuff diseases classifications from standard MRI.ResultsThe study included: 4 shoulders with massive rotator cuff tears, 5 shoulders with an isolated full-thickness supraspinatus tear, 5 shoulders with tendinopathy and 6 normal shoulders. A change in the width of subacromial space greater than 4mm differentiated between rotator cuff diseases with tendon tears (massive cuff tears and supraspinatus tear) and without tears (tendinopathy) (p = 0.012). The range of the superior-inferior translation was higher in the massive cuff tears group (6.4mm) than in normals (3.4mm) (p = 0.02). The range of the anterior-posterior translation was higher in the massive cuff tears (9.2 mm) and supraspinatus tear (9.3 mm) shoulders compared to normals (3.5mm) and tendinopathy (4.8mm) shoulders (p = 0.05).ConclusionThe Dynamic MRI enabled a novel measure; ‘Looseness’, i.e. the translation of the humeral head on the glenoid during an abduction cycle. Looseness was better able at differentiating different forms of rotator cuff disease than a simple static measure of relative glenohumeral position.

Journal article

Geraldes D, Hansen U, Jeffers J, Amis Aet al., 2016, Interference fit optimisation for small press-fitted pegs, International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty 2015, Publisher: BRITISH EDITORIAL SOCIETY OF BONE & JOINT SURGERY, Pages: 150-150, ISSN: 2049-4416

Conference paper

Shah SIMRANA, Jin ANDI, Wilson HANNAHCP, Abel PAULD, Price PATRICIAM, Hansen ULRICHN, Abel RICHARDLet al., 2015, Novel Computed Tomography-based Metric Reliably Estimates bone Strength, Offering Potentially Meaningful Enhancement in Clinical Fracture Risk Prediction, European Journal of Medicine, Vol: 10, Pages: 214-220, ISSN: 2310-3434

Osteoporosis with resultant fractures is a major global health problem with huge socioeconomicimplications for patients, families and healthcare services. Areal (2D bone mineraldensity (BMD) assessment is commonly used for predicting such fracture risk, but is unreliable,estimating only about 50% of bone strength. By contrast, computed tomography (CT) basedtechniques could provide improved metrics for estimating bone strength such as bone volumefraction (BVF; a 3D volumetric measure of mineralised bone), enabling cheap, safe and reliablestrategies for clinical application, and to help divert resources to patients identified as most likelyto benefit, meeting an unmet need.Here we describe a novel method for measuring BVF at clinical-CT like low-resolution(550µm voxel size). Femoral heads (n=8) were micro-CT scanned ex-vivo. Micro-CT data weredowngraded in resolution from 30µm to 550µm voxel size and BVF calculated at high and lowresolution. Experimental mechanical testing was applied to measure ex vivo bone strength ofsamples. BVF measures collected at high-resolution showed high correlation (correlationcoefficient r2=0.95) with low-resolution data. Low-resolution BVF metrics showed high correlation(r2=0.96) with calculated sample strength. These results demonstrate that measuring BVF at lowresolution is feasible, which also predicts bone strength. Measures of BVF should be useful for clinically estimating bone strength and fracture risk. The method needs to be validated using clinical CT scans.

Journal article

Chong DYR, Hansen UN, Amis AA, 2015, CEMENTLESS MIS MINI-KEEL PROSTHESIS REDUCES INTERFACE MICROMOTION VERSUS STANDARD STEMMED TIBIAL COMPONENTS, Journal of Mechanics in Medicine and Biology, Vol: 16, ISSN: 0219-5194

Fixation strength of the cementless knee prostheses is dependent on the initial stability of the fixation and minimal relative motion across the prosthesis–bone interface. Broad mini-keels have been developed for tibial components to allow minimally invasive knee arthroplasty, but the effect of the change in fixation design is unknown. In this study, bone–prosthesis interface micromotions of the mini-keel tibial components (consisting of two designs; one is stemless and another with a stem extension of 45mm) induced by walking and stair climbing were investigated by finite element modeling and compared with standard stemmed design. The prosthesis surface area amenable for bone ingrowth for the mini-keel tibial components (both stemmed and unstemmed) was predicted to be at least 67% larger than the standard stemmed implant, thereby reducing the risk of long-term aseptic loosening. It was also found that while different load patterns may have led to diverse predictions of the magnitude of the interface micromotions and the extent of osseointegration onto the prosthesis, the outcome of design change evaluation in cementless tibial fixations remains unchanged. The mini-keel tibial components were predicted to anchor onto the periprosthetic bone better than the standard stemmed design under all loading conditions investigated.

Journal article

Geraldes D, Hansen U, Amis A, 2015, Parametric analysis of glenoid implant design, International Society of Biomechanics 2015

Conference paper

Simpson RL, Nazhat SN, Blaker JJ, Bismarck A, Hill R, Boccaccini AR, Hansen UN, Amis AAet al., 2015, A comparative study of the effects of different bioactive fillers in PLGA matrix composites and their suitability as bone substitute materials: a thermo-mechanical and in vitro investigation, Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, Vol: 50, Pages: 277-289, ISSN: 1751-6161

Bone substitute composite materials with poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) matrices and four different bioactive fillers: CaCO3, hydroxyapatite (HA), 45S5 Bioglass(®) (45S5 BG), and ICIE4 bioactive glass (a lower sodium glass than 45S5 BG) were produced via melt blending, extrusion and moulding. The viscoelastic, mechanical and thermal properties, and the molecular weight of the matrix were measured. Thermogravimetric analysis evaluated the effect of filler composition on the thermal degradation of the matrix. Bioactive glasses caused premature degradation of the matrix during processing, whereas CaCO3 or HA did not. All composites, except those with 45S5 BG, had similar mechanical strength and were stiffer than PLGA alone in compression, whilst all had a lower tensile strength. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated an increased storage modulus (E') in the composites (other than the 45S5 BG filled PLGA). The effect of water uptake and early degradation was investigated by short-term in vitro aging in simulated body fluid, which indicated enhanced water uptake over the neat polymer; bioactive glass had the greatest water uptake, causing matrix plasticization. These results enable a direct comparison between bioactive filler type in poly(α-hydroxyester) composites, and have implications when selecting a composite material for eventual application in bone substitution.

Journal article

Sukjamsri C, Amis A, Hansen UN, Geraldes DM, Gregory T, Ahmed F, Hollis D, Schenk S, Emery Ret al., 2015, Digital volume correlation and micro-CT: an in-vitro technique for measuring full-field interface micromotion around polyethylene implants, Journal of Biomechanics, Vol: 48, Pages: 3447-3454, ISSN: 0021-9290

Micromotion around implants is commonly measured using displacement-sensor techniques. Due to the limitations of these techniques, an alternative approach (DVC-μCT) using digital volume correlation (DVC) and micro-CT (μCT) was developed in this study. The validation consisted of evaluating DVC-μCT based micromotion against known micromotions (40, 100 and 150 μm) in a simplified experiment. Subsequently, a more clinically realistic experiment in which a glenoid component was implanted into a porcine scapula was carried out and the DVC-μCT measurements during a single load cycle (duration 20 min due to scanning time) was correlated with the manual tracking of micromotion at 12 discrete points across the implant interface. In this same experiment the full-field DVC-μCT micromotion was compared to the full-field micromotion predicted by a parallel finite element analysis (FEA). It was found that DVC-μCT micromotion matched the known micromotion of the simplified experiment (average/peak error=1.4/1.7 μm, regression line slope=0.999) and correlated with the micromotion at the 12 points tracked manually during the realistic experiment (R2=0.96). The DVC-μCT full-field micromotion matched the pattern of the full-field FEA predicted micromotion. This study showed that the DVC-μCT technique provides sensible estimates of micromotion. The main advantages of this technique are that it does not damage important parts of the specimen to gain access to the bone–implant interface, and it provides a full-field evaluation of micromotion as opposed to the micromotion at just a few discrete points. In conclusion the DVC-μCT technique provides a useful tool for investigations of micromotion around plastic implants.

Journal article

Tuncer M, Patel R, Cobb JP, Hansen UN, Amis AAet al., 2015, Variable bone mineral density reductions post-unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, KNEE SURGERY SPORTS TRAUMATOLOGY ARTHROSCOPY, Vol: 23, Pages: 2230-2236, ISSN: 0942-2056

Journal article

Geraldes D, Hansen U, Amis A, 2015, Parametric analysis of glenoid implant design, European Society of Biomechanics 2015

Conference paper

Sukjamsri C, Geraldes D, Gregory T, Hansen Uet al., 2014, Micro computed tomography and digital volume correlation techniques to determine micromotion in cementless arthroplasty, World Congress of Biomechanics 2014

Conference paper

Geraldes D, Hansen U, Amis A, 2014, A framework for parametric analysis of glenoid implant design, MECBioengineering 2014

Conference paper

Geraldes D, Hansen U, Jeffers J, Amis Aet al., 2014, A framework for parametric analysis of glenoid implant design, International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty 2014

Conference paper

Tuncer M, Hansen UN, Amis AA, 2014, Prediction of structural failure of tibial bone models under physiological loads: Effect of CT density-modulus relationships, MEDICAL ENGINEERING & PHYSICS, Vol: 36, Pages: 991-997, ISSN: 1350-4533

Journal article

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