The aim of this study was to determine whether a flexible medial meniscus prosthesis is more capable of sharing loads with the direct tibiofemoral cartilage contact than the stiffer first-generation prosthesis. Additionally, the effect of the prosthesis on the tibial pressure distribution after total meniscectomy was investigated. In an artificial knee joint, the relative amounts of load transferred through both meniscus prostheses and the direct tibiofemoral contact were assessed with pressure-sensitive sensors. Additionally, six cadaveric knee joints were loaded in a physiological environment. Tibial contact pressures were measured with an intact native meniscus, after total meniscectomy and after implantation of the second-generation meniscus prosthesis. Whereas the first generation of the meniscus prosthesis transferred virtually all the load from femur to tibia, the second-generation prosthesis allowed for load sharing with the direct tibiofemoral contact. No differences in load sharing were found between the native meniscus and the second-generation meniscus prosthesis. The prosthesis decreased peak and mean pressures on the medial tibial cartilage compared to meniscectomy. No significant differences in pressure were found between the native meniscus and the meniscus prosthesis. The second-generation meniscus prosthesis presented in this study can share loads with the direct tibiofemoral contact, a characteristic that the first-generation prosthesis did not have. The flexible meniscus prosthesis significantly reduces the contact pressures on the medial tibial plateau after total meniscectomy. Although the biomechanical performance of the native meniscus could not be reproduced completely, the meniscus prosthesis may have the potential to relieve post-meniscectomy pain symptoms.

中文翻译：

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解剖形状的内侧半月板假体能够部分恢复半月板切除膝关节的接触力学

本研究的目的是确定柔性内侧半月板假体是否比更硬的第一代假体更能与直接胫股软骨接触分担载荷。此外，还研究了假体对全半月板切除术后胫骨压力分布的影响。在人工膝关节中，通过压敏传感器评估通过半月板假体和直接胫股接触传递的相对负荷量。此外，在生理环境中加载了六个尸体膝关节。在全半月板切除术后和第二代半月板假体植入后，用完整的天然半月板测量胫骨接触压力。第一代半月板假体几乎将所有负荷从股骨转移到胫骨，而第二代半月板假体允许直接与胫股骨接触分担负荷。在天然半月板和第二代半月板假体之间没有发现负载分担的差异。与半月板切除术相比，假体降低了内侧胫骨软骨的峰值和平均压力。在自然半月板和半月板假体之间没有发现显着的压力差异。本研究中提出的第二代半月板假体可以与直接胫股接触分担负荷，这是第一代假体所没有的特征。柔性半月板假体显着降低了全半月板切除术后内侧胫骨平台的接触压力。