Endoprosthetic implants for mandibular reconstruction : fatigue behaviour analysis with an animal model

• Main Author: Yang, Dongni
• Other Authors: Liao Kin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Bioengineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/38926
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Reconstruction of the mandible is most often indicated as a result of trauma, diseases or tumour resection that caused loss of bone structures. Tideman and Lee1 proposed in 2008 a novel endoprosthetic mandibular implant as a potentially limb-sparing alternative to the methods employed currently. In this study, biomechanical behaviour, particularly fatigue behaviour, of reconstructed Macaca fascicularis mandibles is examined. There has been limited literature exploring this area and this study will present findings of fatigue behaviour in both intact (non-reconstructed) and reconstructed mandibles. It was found that reconstructed mandibles undergo similar number of cycles to failure as intact mandibles, implying similar fatigue strength. However, while intact mandibles fracture along their rami, reconstructed mandibles fracture at the implant-bone interface, which indicates a region of stress concentration around the site of implantation. The strain graphs obtained validated this point as reconstructed mandibles were found to experience a higher magnitude of strain as compared to the intact mandibles. This report concludes with suggestions for further tests to better define the biomechanical properties and the clinical role of endoprostheses for mandibular reconstruction.