Lauren Wearne​

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Project title

Quantifying the interference fit achieved by cementless tibial trays and its effect on primary stability

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Supervisors

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Associate Professor Egon Perilli, Medical Device Research Institute, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University

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Professor Mark Taylor, Medical Device Research Institute, College of Science and Engineering,Flinders University

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Lauren completed a Bachelor of Science (Physics) and a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering at Flinders University. It was only during her final year of her undergraduate study, whilst working with a Paralympian that had multiple sclerosis for her honours project, did Lauren consider pursuing a PhD. Lauren particularly liked analysing the muscle EMG data and correlating this quantitative and physiological measurement to the athlete’s personal experience. It was also during this time that she was introduced to Medical Physics and Egon Perilli, who is now her primary supervisor. Medical Physics provided Lauren with the opportunity of combining her two undergraduate degrees into a single profession whilst simultaneously pursuing research.

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Lauren’s PhD considers the interference fit of cementless tibial trays. Cementless fixation of implants have several potential advantages, including preservation of bone stock and ease of revision. This is especially important considering that patients who receive a primary knee replacement are younger than previously. Despite the importance of interference fit, little is understood. The majority of computational models ignore the influence of press-fit when assessing primary stability or other models use values that are significantly lower than those found clinically. Through the use of micro-CT and digital volume correlation, Lauren aims to provide some of this information by quantifying the extent of done damage induced during implantation and the primary stability of cementless tibia trays.