Mechanical Evaluation of Trochanteric Fracture Fixation Device of Femur Using Finite Element Method : Mechanical Properties of Gamma Nail(<Special Issue>Bioengineering of Biological and Medical Materials)

Abstract

In this study, stress condition of the femur with fixation using the Gamma nail, which is widely used as the intramedullary nail device of trochanteric fracture, is investigated by three-dimensional finite element method. Imitation bone model, which has mechanical properties as same as the human bone, is used to analyze. The stress analysis of the femur before and after the implantation of the nail is carried out in detail. As the results, the stress considerably decreases at the proximal part by the nail insertion, but the stress concentration appears around the nail tip. The stress rapidly increases, when the gap between nail and cancellous bone becomes small. The existence of the locking screw does not affect the stress distribution of the circumference. In the meantime, the stress distribution is considerably similar to the intact bone, when the nail is made of titanium alloy, which has material properties closer to the cortical bone in comparison with stainless steel.