10 Giugno 2022. Seminari fra Giovani Ricercatori
Seminari fra Giovani Ricercatori.
“Trends in Additive Manufacturing for Medical Devices: Towards a 3D printed custom prothesis for talus replacement”
By Francesca Berti (Post Doctoral Researcher @ Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics (LaBS), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano)
“Histomorphometric and mechanical characterization of infrapatellar and suprapatellar fat pads in patients with end-stage osteoarthritis”
By Chiara Giulia Fontanella (Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Centre for Mechanics of Biological Materials, University of Padova)
Both research groups are involved within the project “CEntro di studi sperimentali e COmputazionali per la ModElliStica applicata alla chirurgia” funded by the Italian Ministry of University (https://www.cecomes.it/)
Friday, June 10th, 1.00-2.00 pm (Central European Time – CET)
Abstract #1
In the last decade, Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has been recognized with great potential in the personalized medicine industry, offering unique capabilities to design and produce devices fitting complex anatomical sites. Among the several biomedical applications, the orthopedic field is a clear example of AM custom production. Within this context, 3D printing technologies allow to manufacture lattice structures mimicking trabecular bone, which results in an enhanced bone ingrowth and post-surgery implant stability in fast times, thus higher benefits for the patient. This is relevant when complex anatomical sites, such the ankle joint, are treated. Before introducing the specific application, the seminar will firstly highlight the potentialities and the open issues of AM applied to the realization of custom implants. Then, a patient-specific clinical case will be illustrated. In this regard, the authors are currently working on the design of a novel AM custom prosthesis for talus resurfacing. Standard implants for talus replacement are invasive, affected by a high failure rate, and require technically demanding surgeries. Within this scenario, an experimental-numerical approach was applied for investigating different design solutions, starting from the material characterization up to a first implant prototype.
Abstract #2
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most frequent form of arthritis and an important cause of pain and disability in elderly people. The joint most affected by OA is the knee with an estimated radiographic prevalence of 3.8% worldwide. OA is now considered a whole joint disease involving not only cartilage, but also meniscus, synovial membrane, infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) and suprapatellar fat pad (SFP). This seminar will introduce a procedure to investigate the role of IFP and SFP in OA pathophysiology, through the multidisciplinary collaboration between medical and engineering areas. It has been shown that IFP produces pro-inflammatory mediators and induces synovial inflammation contributing to OA onset, progression and related pain. OA IFP undergoes some morphological and structural changes compared to non-OA IFP. The mechanical characteristics of OA IFP and SFP have been investigated through experimental and numerical methods. Results provided the basis for the development of computational tools that will allow investigating the influence of OA on knee mechanics including the presence of IFP and SFP in the knee FE models. These findings may be of interest during surgical intervention procedures and in the assessment of the possible removal of IFP in case of total knee arthroplasty.