Development of pre-clinical patellar component test for total knee arthroplasty

Patellar component failure accounts for the majority of complications with total knee arthroplasty procedures . Current patellar component tests involve loads that do not categorize failures as seen in clinical data. The aim of this project is to define the forces that lead to failure and design a test that can predict these failures. Clinical data reveals that the primary mode of failure of patellar components involves polyethylene wear most prominent at the lateral aspect of the component in various types of patella designs. Research on normal knee anatomy, kinematics and forces indicates that quadriceps tension results in a net lateral force exerted on the patella. This force, combined with the lateral to medial motion of the patella and its contact with the femoral condyles during 60° to 140° flexion, is theorized to be the contributing factor that leads to the observed clinical failure.