Validation and evaluation of subject-specific finite element models of the pediatric knee.
Ayda Karimi Dastgerdi, Amir Esrafilian, Christopher P Carty, Azadeh Nasseri, Alireza Yahyaiee Bavil, Martina Barzan, Rami K Korhonen, Ivan Astori, Wayne Hall, David John Saxby
Author Information
Ayda Karimi Dastgerdi: Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. ayda.karimidastgerdi@griffithuni.edu.au.
Amir Esrafilian: Department of Technical Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Christopher P Carty: Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Azadeh Nasseri: Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Alireza Yahyaiee Bavil: Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Martina Barzan: Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Rami K Korhonen: Department of Technical Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Ivan Astori: Department of Orthopedics, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Wayne Hall: School of Engineering and Built Environment, Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
David John Saxby: Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT), Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Finite element (FE) models have been widely used to investigate knee joint biomechanics. Most of these models have been developed to study adult knees, neglecting pediatric populations. In this study, an atlas-based approach was employed to develop subject-specific FE models of the knee for eight typically developing pediatric individuals. Initially, validation simulations were performed at four passive tibiofemoral joint (TFJ) flexion angles, and the resulting TFJ and patellofemoral joint (PFJ) kinematics were compared to corresponding patient-matched measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A neuromusculoskeletal-(NMSK)-FE pipeline was then used to simulate knee biomechanics during stance phase of walking gait for each participant to evaluate model simulation of a common motor task. Validation simulations demonstrated minimal error and strong correlations between FE-predicted and MRI-measured TFJ and PFJ kinematics (ensemble average of root mean square errors < 5 mm for translations and < 4.1° for rotations). The FE-predicted kinematics were strongly correlated with published reports (ensemble average of Pearson's correlation coefficients (ρ) > 0.9 for translations and ρ > 0.8 for rotations), except for TFJ mediolateral translation and abduction/adduction rotation. For walking gait, NMSK-FE model-predicted knee kinematics, contact areas, and contact pressures were consistent with experimental reports from literature. The strong agreement between model predictions and experimental reports underscores the capability of sequentially linked NMSK-FE models to accurately predict pediatric knee kinematics, as well as complex contact pressure distributions across the TFJ articulations. These models hold promise as effective tools for parametric analyses, population-based clinical studies, and enhancing our understanding of various pediatric knee injury mechanisms. They also support intervention design and prediction of surgical outcomes in pediatric populations.
