Robotic Simulation: Tissue Function with In Vivo Motions

描述(申请人提供)：前十字韧带(ACL)和内侧半月板(MM)是常见的膝关节结构损伤。失去这两种结构中的一种或两种都会极大地改变关节运动学，导致软骨损伤，并在较长时间内引发退行性关节疾病和骨关节炎。虽然研究人员开始准确地描述受试者正常的膝关节运动学和韧带表面应变，但在没有直接校准的情况下，不可能在人体内测量至关重要的组织力和接触应力。为了解决这一问题，研究人员建议为机器人中选定的活体活动确定山羊膝关节中的前交叉韧带力和半月板接触应力。我们寻求 检验体内组织力和变形以及组织-组织相互作用的全球假说 可以通过在体外环境中准确地再现活体膝盖运动学来预测。为了检验这一全球假设，我们将检验5个具体目标： 目的1：用超声晶体和组织力传感器对山羊膝关节进行手术，在术后受控活体活动中精确监测相对骨骼位置和换能器电压。 目的2：在实验室中，将骨骼的相对位置转化为关节运动学，以驱动机器人在这些活体活动中重现膝关节状态。比较实际和模拟的关节旋转和平移，以确定在每个活动的步态站立阶段是否在可接受的公差内重新创建了体内运动学。 目的3：比较体内和体外组织力传感器的电压，以确定在每个活动的步态站立阶段是否在可接受的容差内重建了体内电压。 目的：进行选择性切割实验，研究包膜、韧带和半月板结构对模拟活体活动的前交叉韧带和半月板功能的影响。 目的5：校验力传感器，以确定每个活动中的前交叉韧带力和半月板接触应力。测量每种活体活动的相关组织变形。 这项研究计划将极大地提高我们对正常膝关节运动和力量的理解。这些技术将成为研究膝关节和其他关节的损伤、修复和重建以及开发功能性组织工程参数的平台。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial meniscus (MM) are frequently injured knee structures. Losing the functions of either or both of these structures can dramatically alter joint kinematics, causing cartilage damage and the onset of degenerative joint disease and osteoarthritis in the longer term. While investigators are beginning to accurately characterize normal knee kinematics and ligament surface strains in human subjects, critically important tissue forces and contact stresses are impossible to measure in humans without direct calibration. To address this concern, the investigators propose to determine ACL forces and meniscus contact stresses in the goat knee for selected in vivo activities in a robot. We seek to test the global hypothesis that in vivo tissue forces and deformations and tissue-tissue interactions can be predicted by accurately reproducing in vivo knee kinematics in an in vitro setting. To test this global hypothesis, we will examine 5 specific aims: Aim 1: Instrument the goat knee at surgery with ultrasonic crystals and tissue force transducers to precisely monitor relative bone positions and transducer voltages during controlled in vivo activities after surgery. Aim 2: In the laboratory, transform the relative bone positions into joint kinematics to drive a robot to reproduce the knee state during these in vivo activities. Compare actual and simulated joint rotations and translations to determine if in vivo kinematics have been recreated within an acceptable tolerance during the stance phase of gait for each activity. Aim 3: Compare in vivo and in vitro tissue force transducer voltages to determine if in vivo voltages have been recreated within an acceptable tolerance during the stance phase of gait for each activity. Aim 4: Perform selective cutting experiments to study how capsular, ligamentous, and meniscus structures influence the functions of the ACL and menisci for simulated in vivo activities. Aim 5: Calibrate the force transducers to determine ACL forces and meniscus contact stresses for each in activity. Measure the associated tissue deformations for each in vivo activity. This research program will dramatically improve our understanding of normal knee motion and forces. These technologies will serve as a platform for studying injury, repair and reconstruction in the knee and other joints and to develop functional tissue engineering parameters.