Abstract:[Objective] Artificial ligaments are crucial implants in ligament reconstruction surgery, and in clinical practice, adverse events such as fracture and failure of artificial ligaments are commonly observed because of friction and wear. The wear of artificial ligaments not only weakens the performance of the prosthesis but also potentially causes iatrogenic arthropathy. Therefore, investigating the friction and wear performance of artificial ligaments in vitro is important. Currently, neither domestic nor international standards have specified methods for measuring the wear of artificial ligaments. Furthermore, quantitative research methods for studying friction and wear are limited; moreover, only a few studies have been conducted on the methods for assessing the wear of artificial ligaments. [Methods] In this study, artificial ligaments were subjected to 2.0×106 cycles in the in vitro friction wear test following the YY/T 0965—2014 standard. Subsequently, three wear test groups were established in accordance with the YY/T 1426.1—2016 standard. A loading control group was also established simultaneously to mitigate the weight errors caused by ligament water absorption. Artificial ligaments were periodically cleaned and weighed in accordance with the YY/T 1426.2—2016. Furthermore, the gravimetric method was employed to measure and analyze the amount of wear on the artificial ligaments. The micromorphology of the artificial ligaments after wear was observed using a stereoscopic microscope, and the wear debris generated by abrasion in 1.5×106—2.0×106 wear cycles was extracted and sent to a scanning electron microscope for observation. The wear debris was characterized according to ASTM F1877-16. [Results] In the three test groups, the amount of wear of the artificial ligaments increased linearly, with an average wear rate of (6.94 ±2.30)mg/106 cycles. After abrading the artificial ligaments, some surface tissues appeared rough, and the braided structure was damaged. The filament sorting was loose and fractured, similar to the failed ligaments removed in the clinic. Additionally, the wear process of artificial ligaments produced white and opaque wear debris, mainly consisting of irregular particles ranging from nanometer to micrometer sizes. Most of the extracted wear debris appeared as spheres, and only a small portion was in the form of fibrous strips. The majority of the wear debris was small, whereas only a little of them was large. Most of the extracted wear debris was spherical, whereas a little was in the form of fibrous strips. There were more small-sized and fewer large-sized wear debris, which were relatively less biologically active and had a lower risk of triggering joint diseases. The results of this study provided a strong reference for refining the standards for in vitro friction wear test of artificial ligaments. [Conclusions] The wear rates of artificial ligaments are comparable to that of hip and knee prostheses reported in some studies. This should not be overlooked, as its biotribological behavior directly affects the outcomes of replacement surgery. Therefore, establishing scientific and rational in vitro wear measurements and wear debris analysis has great scientific value and significance in accurately predicting the clinical wear of artificial ligaments.
黄秀玲, 郑晔, 赖卫国, 朱俊俊, 华子恺. 人工韧带体外摩擦磨损测量方法[J]. 清华大学学报(自然科学版), 2024, 64(3): 432-441.
HUANG Xiuling, ZHENG Ye, LAI Weiguo, ZHU Junjun, HUA Zikai. Measurement method of in vitro friction and wear of artificial ligaments. Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology), 2024, 64(3): 432-441.
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