Chinese Journal Of Clinical Anatomy ›› 2018, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (6): 662-667.doi: 10.13418/j.issn.1001-165x.2018.06.013

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Development and validation of nonlinear finite element model of the whole lumbar spine

LING Qin-jie 1, 2, LIN Hui 2, XIE Pu-sheng 2, DENG Yu-ping 2, HUANG Wen-hua 2   

  1. 1. Spinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China;2. School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Biomechanics, Guangzhou 510515, China
  • Received:2017-12-31 Online:2018-11-25 Published:2018-12-29

Abstract:

Objective  To develop the whole lumbar spine finite element model and to validate the model by comparison with the previous vitro experiments. results. Methods The CT images of the whole lumbar spine were from a 25 years old male volunteer. The finite element model was established by six software: Mimics 17.0, Geomagic Studio 2013, UG8.5, Hypermesh 13.0 and Abaqus 6.14-4. After finishing a grid convergence test, six lumbar movements (flexion, extension, left bending, right bending, left axial rotation, right axial rotation) were simulated by applying different moment loads to the model. Then the range of motion (ROM) of each lumbar spine functional spinal unit (FSU) was recorded. Results The simulating results obtained by the model were similar to those obtained from the in-vitro experiments, and the trend of the two was consistent. Conclusions The establishment and validation of the nonlinear finite element model of the whole lumbar spine used in this study can be used to model and analyze future spine-related diseases.

Key words: Lumbar spine,  Biomechanics,  Finite element analysis,  Nonlinear Model