A Cast3M function to solve bonegrowth and remodeling problems

ALONSO, GASTÓN; ALEJANDRO YAWNY; BERTOLINO, GRACIELA

Paris

Workshop; Club Cast3M:; 2021

CEA

Long bones geometry changes in response to longitudinal growth in the epi-physeal plates and hydroxyapatite apposition in the periosteum. Due to itsrelevance for growth modulation and orthotics performance, researchers haveextensively modeled these phenomena, using the finite elements method for italmost since the introduction of modern computers. This is a rather complextask that, besides the inherent difficulty of solving the models equations, requiresconsidering a moving boundary. Here, the development of a new computationaltool for its resolution is described. A generalized formulation of these problemsis established based on the most common approaches taken in the literature anda novel finite elements algorithm is proposed for its resolution. The later allowsa significant reduction of the spatial discretization requirements, the computa-tional cost and the numerical errors associated with more classical approaches.The potentiality of the method is demonstrated by its application to three casesof practical interest, namely, hemiepiphysiodesis treatment, growth in the distalfemur and bone remodeling around hip prosthesis.