Sensing methodology for in vivo stability evaluation of total hip and knee arthroplasty

This paper describes an implantable, remotely interrogated system for the in vivo measurement of both micromotion and migration in applications such as total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). These metrics are the primary indicators of post-operative implant stability and their easy availability represents an important advance in the ability of clinicians to assess the long-term stability of the implants and also to plan and optimise patients’ rehabilitation protocols. The system is based on a modified form of differential variable reluctance transducer (DVRT) whose null-point is set automatically by means of a self-calibration algorithm. The self-calibration process not only allows the measuring bridge to work at maximum accuracy (i.e. for micromotion measurements) but also automatically records gross changes in position (migration). Simulations and preliminary measurements show that the calibration algorithm works correctly in spite of component tolerances and initial set up errors, and that the device can measure micromotion with an amplitude as low as 1 μm with a gross displacement (migration) in the range 0 to ±4 mm.