BackgroundThe ligaments in coherence with the capsule of the hip joint are known to contribute to hip stability. Nevertheless, the contribution of the mechanical properties of the ligaments and gender- or side-specific differences are still not completely clear. To date, comparisons of the hip capsule ligaments to other tissues stabilizing the pelvis and hip joint, e.g. the iliotibial tract, were not performed.Materials & MethodsHip capsule ligaments were obtained from 17 human cadavers (9 females, 7 males, 13 left and 8 right sides, mean age 83.65 ± 10.54 years). 18 iliofemoral, 9 ischiofemoral and 17 pubofemoral ligaments were prepared. Uniaxial stress-strain properties were obtained from the load-deformation curves before the secant elastic modulus was computed. Strain, elastic modulus and cross sections were compared.ResultsStrain and elastic modulus revealed no significant differences between the iliofemoral (strain 129.8 ± 11.1%, elastic modulus 48.8 ± 21.4 N/mm2), ischiofemoral (strain 128.7 ± 13.7%, elastic modulus 37.5 ± 20.4 N/mm2) and pubofemoral (strain 133.2 ± 23.7%, elastic modulus 49.0 ± 32.1 N/mm2) ligaments. The iliofemoral ligament (53.5 ± 15.1 mm2) yielded a significantly higher cross section compared to the ischiofemoral (19.2 ± 13.2 mm2) and pubofemoral (15.2 ± 7.2 mm2) ligament. No significant gender- or side-specific differences were determined. A comparison to the published data on the iliotibial tract revealed lower elasticity and less variation in the ligaments of the hip joint.ConclusionComparison of the mechanical data of the hip joint ligaments indicates that their role may likely exceed a function as a mechanical stabilizer. Uniaxial testing of interwoven collagen fibers might lead to a misinterpretation of the mechanical properties of the hip capsule ligaments in the given setup, concealing its uniaxial properties. This underlines the need for a polyaxial test setup using fresh and non-embalmed tissues.

BackgroundTo ensure adequate function after orthopedic tumor reconstruction, it is important to reattach the remaining soft tissue to the implant. This study aimed at obtaining mechanical properties of textile muscle-implant and muscle-bone connections in a preliminary test.MethodsTwo groups of soft-tissue attachment were mechanically tested and compared: Native bone-muscle samples obtained from human femora and muscles attached to a prosthetic implant by means of Trevira® attachment tubes. Additionally, muscle samples were tested with muscle fibers aligned parallel and perpendicular to the tension load. A uniaxial load was exerted upon all samples.ResultsFailure loads of 26.7 ± 8.8 N were observed for the native bone-muscle group and of 18.1 ± 9.9 N for the Trevira® group. Elongations of 94.8 ± 36.2 % were observed for the native bone-muscle group and 79.3 ± 51.8 % for the Trevira® group. The location of failure was mainly observed in the central area of the muscle fibers. Muscle fibers with parallel fiber orientation (47.6 ± 11.5 N) yielded higher tensile strength than those with perpendicular fiber orientation (14.8 ± 4.1 N).ConclusionsOur experiments showed that higher forces were transmitted in the origin and insertion areas than in areas of flat soft tissue reconstruction using attachment tubes. The data indicate that the tested material allows reattaching muscles, but without reinforcing the insertion site. Therefore, attachment tubes with region-dependent and potentially anisotropic material behavior might be advantageous to optimize muscle-bone load transmission after surgery, which may allow lower complication rates and shorter physical recovery.

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Bone specimens obtained for biomechanical experiments are fresh-frozen for storage to slow down tissue degradation and autolysis in long-term storage. Alternatively, due to infectious risks related to the fresh tissues, xative agents are commonly used. However, xatives will likely change the mechanical properties of bone. Existing studies on this issue gave controversial results that are hardly comparable due to a variety of measurement approaches. For this reason, the in uence of ethanol and a formalin-based xative agent was evaluated on the mechanical properties of human cortical bone specimens by means of four-point-bending tests. 127 prismatic specimens with rectangular cross sections (2.5 x 2.5 x 20 mm ) were obtained from di erent regions of two fresh human femora (medial, lateral, dorsal, ventral). Specimens were either xed in ethanol or in a mixed formalin solution or frozen following a given scheme. After two weeks of storage the samples were re-hydrated in isotonic saline and subsequently tested mechanically. The elastic bending modulus and ultimate bending strength were computed considering the actual dimensions of each speci c specimen. For statistical analysis a one-way-ANOVA and an LSD post-hoc-test were performed. For ultimate bending strength no signi cant di erences due to formalin or ethanol xation, as compared to un xed-fresh bone specimens could be found. And only for few cases signicant di erences in elastic bending modulus were observed Rostock, Germany, E-mail: marko.schulze@med.uni-rostock.de when the two bones were evaluated separately. Since more di erences of signi cant level due to the anatomical region of the samples were determined, the original location seems to have more in uence on the evaluated mechanical properties than the method of (chemical) xation. Consequently, ethanol and the mixed formalin solution can be recommended as a xation agent for samples in biomechanical testing, if these samples are rinsed in isotonic saline prior to static mechanical testing.

Introduction. The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) provides both mobility and stability of the radiocarpal joint. TFCC lesions are difficult to diagnose due to the complex anatomy. The standard treatment for TFCC lesions is arthroscopy, posing surgery-related risks onto the patients. This feasibility study aimed at developing a workup for soft-tissue reconstruction using clinical imaging, to verify these results in retrospective patient data. Methods. Microcomputed tomography (μ-CT), 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and plastination were used to visualize the TFCC in cadaveric specimens applying segmentation-based 3D reconstruction. This approach further trialed the MRI dataset of a patient with minor radiological TFCC alterations but persistent pain. Results. TFCC reconstruction was impossible using μ-CT only but feasible using MRI, resulting in an appreciation of its substructures, as seen in the plastinates. Applying this approach allowed for visualizing a Palmer 2C lesion in a patient, confirming ex postum the arthroscopy findings, being markedly different from MRI (Palmer 1B). Discussion. This preliminary study showed that image-based TFCC reconstruction may help to identify pathologies invisible in standard MRI. The combined approach of μ-CT, MRI, and plastination allowed for a three-dimensional appreciation of the TFCC. Image quality and time expenditure limit the approach's usefulness as a diagnostic tool.