Page 179 - IJB-9-6

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Biomechanical evaluation of an anatomical bone

plate assembly for thin patella fracture fixation
fabricated by titanium alloy 3D printing

Chi-Yang Liao 1,2,3 , Shao-Fu Huang , Wei-Che Tsai , Yu-Hui Zeng ,
1,4
1
1
Chia-Hsuan Li , and Chun-Li Lin *
1,4
1,4
1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
2 Department of Orthopedics, Tri-Service General Hospital Songshan Branch, National Defense
Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
3 Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital Songshan Branch, National Defense Medical
Center, Taipei, Taiwan
4 Medical Device Innovation and Translation Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University,
Taipei 112, Taiwan

Abstract

This study established and evaluated the feasibility of a three-dimensional (3D)-
printed titanium anatomical surface with adjustable thin bone plate assembly
(AATBP) for patella fracture fixation. The AATBP was 1.6 mm in thickness and divided
into a proximal plate (PP) with locking screw holes and a distal plate (DP) (0.4 mm in
thickness) with compressive screw holes for assembly using a ratchet mechanism to
*Corresponding author: adjust the total fixation height according to the patella size. Two pairs of hooks were
Chun-Li Lin designed on the proximal/distal edges to allow passage through the tendon to grip
(cllin2@nycu.edu.tw)
the fractured fragments. 3D printing combined with Computer Numerical Control
Citation: Huang S-F, Tsai W-C, (CNC) drilling was performed to manufacture the AATBP. Four-point bending and
Zeng Y-H, et al., 2023, surface roughness tests were performed to evaluate the AATBP mechanical behavior.
Biomechanical evaluation of an
anatomical bone plate assembly A cyclic (300 times) load test with 15-kg weights was adopted to compare the
for thin patella fracture fixation biomechanical stability between the AATBP and conventional tension band wiring
fabricated by titanium alloy 3D (TBW) fixations. A parallel finite element (FE) analysis was achieved to understand
printing. Int J Bioprint, 9(6): 0117.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0117 the fracture gap and bone stress in the two different fixations on a transverse patella
fracture. The result showed that the maximum AATBP manufacturing error was
Received: April 5, 2023
Accepted: June 17, 2023 3.75%. The average fracture gaps on the medial/lateral sides after cyclic loads were
Published Online: July 18, 2023 2.38 ± 0.57 mm/2.30 ± 0.30 mm for TBW and 0.03 ± 0.01 mm/0.06 ± 0.03 mm for
AATBP fixations. The same trend occurred in the FE simulation. This study confirmed
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article that a complicated thin bone plate, including the anatomical surface, hooks, and
distributed under the terms of the ratchet with size-adjustable characteristics, can be fabricated using metal 3D
Creative Commons Attribution printing with acceptable manufacturing error and reasonable anatomical surface/
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, thin bone plate assembly fitness. Biomechanical cyclic tests and FE simulation
provided the original work is showed that the AATBP fixation is superior to the conventional TBW for patella
properly cited.
transverse fractures.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in Keywords: Metal 3D printing; Anatomical surface; Assembly; Patella fracture;
published maps and institutional Bone plate
affiliations.

Volume 9 Issue 6 (2023) 171 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0117