Finite element modelling of the sacral soft tissues under compressive loading in the context of pressure ulcer prevention: importance of the personalization of the material parameters

IF 1.8 3区医学 Q4 ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL

Clinical Biomechanics Pub Date : 2025-12-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-16 DOI:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106668

Ekaterina Mukhina , Pierre-Yves Rohan , Nathanael Connesson , Yohan Payan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Pressure ulcers are a common occurrence in the sacrum and are frequently associated with deep tissue injury. Research has demonstrated that compression and mechanical strain contribute to tissue damage and can be employed to assess the risk of injury. Despite the existence of several finite element models based on this evidence, the experimental evaluation of localized tissue strain is rarely addressed.

Methods

The objective of this study is to present a proof-of-concept protocol for creating subject-specific finite element models of sacral soft tissues under compressive loading and to compare the model predictions with experimental data based on Digital Volume Correlation of MRI data. The data was collected from one asymptomatic volunteer in four loading conditions (vertical loading of 4.3 N, 6.1 N, 8 N and 11.9 N).

Findings

A comparison of DVC-derived tissue displacements with the Finite Element simulations demonstrated accurate estimations for maximum values and displacement distribution fields for all load cases, with less than 5 % discrepancy for load configurations L1-L3 and 7 % for load configuration L4. Concerning shear strains, it was observed that there were significant differences between the DVC-derived experimental tissue shear strains and the simulation predictions when generic constitutive parameters were used. The highest difference was 43 % for the highest load configuration (11.9 N).

Interpretation

These results demonstrate that incorporating personalized tissue properties substantially improves model fidelity, highlighting the potential of combined imaging, mechanical testing, and FE modelling for individualized risk assessment of deep tissue injury.

查看原文本刊更多论文

压缩载荷下骶骨软组织的有限元建模：材料参数个性化的重要性。

背景：压疮是骶骨的常见病，常伴有深部组织损伤。研究表明，压缩和机械应变有助于组织损伤，可以用来评估损伤的风险。尽管存在一些基于这一证据的有限元模型，但很少涉及局部组织应变的实验评估。方法：本研究的目的是提出一种概念验证方案，用于在压缩载荷下创建特定受试者的骶骨软组织有限元模型，并将模型预测与基于MRI数据的数字体积相关的实验数据进行比较。数据采集自1名无症状志愿者，在4种载荷条件下（垂直载荷为4.3 N、6.1 N、8 N和11.9 N）。研究结果：将dvc组织位移与有限元模拟进行比较，可以准确估计所有负载情况下的最大值和位移分布场，负载配置L1-L3的差异小于5%，负载配置L4的差异小于7%。在剪切应变方面，使用通用本构参数时，dvc导出的实验组织剪切应变与模拟预测存在显著差异。对于最高负荷配置（11.9 N），最大差异为43%。解释：这些结果表明，结合个性化组织特性大大提高了模型的保真度，突出了综合成像、力学测试和FE建模对深度组织损伤个体化风险评估的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Biomechanics 医学-工程：生物医学

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

5.60%

发文量

189

审稿时长

12.3 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinical Biomechanics is an international multidisciplinary journal of biomechanics with a focus on medical and clinical applications of new knowledge in the field. The science of biomechanics helps explain the causes of cell, tissue, organ and body system disorders, and supports clinicians in the diagnosis, prognosis and evaluation of treatment methods and technologies. Clinical Biomechanics aims to strengthen the links between laboratory and clinic by publishing cutting-edge biomechanics research which helps to explain the causes of injury and disease, and which provides evidence contributing to improved clinical management. A rigorous peer review system is employed and every attempt is made to process and publish top-quality papers promptly. Clinical Biomechanics explores all facets of body system, organ, tissue and cell biomechanics, with an emphasis on medical and clinical applications of the basic science aspects. The role of basic science is therefore recognized in a medical or clinical context. The readership of the journal closely reflects its multi-disciplinary contents, being a balance of scientists, engineers and clinicians. The contents are in the form of research papers, brief reports, review papers and correspondence, whilst special interest issues and supplements are published from time to time. Disciplines covered include biomechanics and mechanobiology at all scales, bioengineering and use of tissue engineering and biomaterials for clinical applications, biophysics, as well as biomechanical aspects of medical robotics, ergonomics, physical and occupational therapeutics and rehabilitation.