Resolving conflicting objectives in a medical prostheses development

摘要

A common cause of knee injury in humans is associated with damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) [3]. The ACL passes through the centre of the knee joint and, in conjunction with the posterior cruciate ligament and the lateral ligaments, contribute to the stability of the knee. The natural motion of the knee consists of a combination of pivoting and sliding actions, and limited twisting movement. These freedoms are governed and supported by the various ligaments and muscle groups connected to the bones of the knee. As such, rupture of the ACL will adversely effect the stability of the joint which can lead to long term joint damage [1],[8]. Most surgical procedures replace the damaged ACL with a tendon graft, usually harvested from the patellar or hamstring ligaments. These procedures offer good outcomes but the strength of the harvested tendon material is far less than that of the original ligament and the ligament material cannot be used, for example, when tendon strength is insufficient or when an existing graft has failed and insufficient ligament material is available for harvesting [4], [1].