Sensor integrated tibial inlay for soft-tissue balancing

AbstractA tibial inlay with integrated force sensors for a total knee arthroplasty was developed. It is inserted after the bone resection together with the trial components of the prosthesis intraoperatively to measure the tension in the collateral ligaments to carry out ligament balancing. Forces on the medial and lateral condyle of the knee can be measured separately. Three force sensors per condyle are used to determine the magnitude of the force and the point of force application for the respective condyle. In contrast to the methods used in clinical practice it is possible to measure the ligament tension over the whole range of motion of the joint. Moreover the results are not dependent on the surgeon. First tests in an automated load system showed good agreement between calibration data of single force sensors and load applied on the inlay