Biomechanical investigation of two long bone growth modulation techniques by finite element simulations

Implants used to correct pathological varus–valgus deformities (VVD) and leg length discrepancies (LLD) may not be optimized for the specific treatment, as suggested by their off-label use. Detailed analysis of this issue has been limited by the poorly understood mechanical behavior of the growing physis and ignorance of the loads acting on the implants. The aim of this study was to predict and compare the loading conditions of a growth modulation implant in VVD and LLD treatments. Idealized finite element (FE) models of the juvenile distal femur treated with the Eight-Plate implant were developed for VVD and LLD. Bone growth was simulated using thermal strains. The axial force in the plate was compared between the two treatments. Case-specific plate forces were predicted by virtually reproducing the screw deformation visible on radiographs of LLD (N = 4) and VVD (N = 4) clinical cases. The simple FE models reproduced the clinical implant deformations well. The resulting forces ranged from 129 to 580 N for the VVD patients. For LLD, this range was from 295 to 1002 N per plate, that is, 590–2004 N for the entire physis. The higher forces in LLD could be explained by restricted screw divergence in the double-sided implant application. For the first time, the loading conditions of a growth modulation implant were investigated and compared between two treatments by FE analyses, and the range of case-specific loads was predicted. These simulation tools may be utilized for guiding appropriate usage and for efficient development of implants.