Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The biomechanical properties of the knee joint are determined by the anatomical structure and mechanical characteristics, the finite element analysis of knee biomechanics mechanism and the injury mechanism can effectively guide, prevent and treat the knee disorders.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the research on the establishment of finite element digital model of the knee joint and its application value.
METHODS: A computer-base search was performed on the VIP database and Wanfang database from January 2005 to November 2011 for the articles related to the establishment and application of knee joint model with the key words of “CT, MRI, knee joint, finite element, model establishment”. Repetitive articles or Meta-analysis were eliminated. We focused on nine articles to investigate the application of CT, MRI and finite element model in the research of the knee joint.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: DICM images collected by CT and MRI have advantages and disadvantages in the establishment of finite element model, reasonable application of the finite element model can provide more comprehensive and reliable imaging data for the knee surgery. Clinicians can design the surgical program and simulate the surgical progress according to the model which can reduce the risk of surgery significantly and reduce the suffering of the patient.