Development of a Biconcave Mobile‐Bearing Lumbar Total Disc Arthroplasty Concept Using Finite Element Analysis and Design Optimization

Total disc arthroplasty (TDA) is a motion‐preserving surgical treatment for spinal disorders. However, adverse surgical outcomes, such as abnormal kinematics, facet joint (FJ) overloading, and polyethylene (PE) failures, have limited wide application of lumbar TDAs. The objectives of this computational study were to elucidate how implant design and FJ articulation both influence metal‐on‐polyethylene (MoP) motion and contact mechanics, as well as to propose and refine a new mobile‐bearing TDA concept which enhanced postoperative performance. Simulation results show that abnormal motions (lift‐off and/or unsymmetrical motion) are alleviated in fixed‐/mobile‐bearing TDA‐treated segments, as the FJ gap increases. It clearly demonstrates that FJ articulation guides segmental motion and interferes with intended MoP articulation. For an existing biconvex mobile‐bearing design, component impingement leads to a peak PE stress of 20.8 MPa (yield stress: 13 MPa), indicating a high risk of PE creep/fracture. Therefore, we proposed a new TDA concept featuring a biconcave PE core with a smooth shape, in order to strengthen the PE rim and mitigate edge‐loading. Furthermore, the biconcave‐core TDA was optimally designed to promote normal segmental range of motion (ROM), or to minimize polyethylene contact pressure (PCP). In extension (the severest loading scenario), the biconvex‐core TDA design caused a ROM 3.6° (+88%) greater than the intact segment and a peak PCP of 116.5 MPa. In contrast, ROM‐optimal or PCP‐optimal biconcave‐core TDA designs decreased the ROM difference to 0.0° or the peak PCP to 24.3 MPa. Therefore, this new TDA design can potentially reduce the incidence of hypermotion and PE damage. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:1805–1816, 2019