Colloquia

Summary

To realise a new treatment for small joint arthritis a group of the University of Twente joined the Horizon-2020 funded international project of APRICOT. In this project we will realize a thin, self-lubricating compliant implant to be placed between the articulating surfaces of the affected joint of a finger. The MCP joint of the thumb is chosen to focus this research on. In order to place this implant, distraction of the joint space has to be achieved. For this reason a novel device has been designed. This articulating joint distractor uses a finger trap to apply a force to the thumb. It is able to adjust the flexion angle while this force is applied. Two cadaveric study has been performed, the first to determine the force which has to be applied in order to create 2 mm of distraction which has been measured at approximately 30N. The second was performed to test the prototype, which showed the working principle of the design. Adjusting the design to minimize risks, found partly during the experiment, determined the final design which did meet all requirements. Further verification of the final design is still necessary such as testing the micro-crystalline coating for the aluminium parts regarding various sterilization and cleaning techniques, and testing the ergonomics and functionality in more detail. Finally more research is needed for predicting forces during distraction of a joint space including joint laxity and non-linear strain behaviour of tendons.