A mechanical comparison of 2 posterior-stabilizing designs - Insall/Burstein 2 knee and bisurface knee

A posterior-stabilizing knee prosthesis, called the Bisurface knee (Kyocera Corp, Kyoto, Japan), with a ball-and-socket joint installed in the midposterior portion of the tibiofemoral joint, has been developed to satisfy 2 conflicting demands in knee joint design: kinematics and wear resistance. To confirm if the prosthesis has achieved its design objectives, a contact area and stress study was done throughout the range of motion and compared with results obtained for the Insall-Burstein 2 knee. The posterior-stabilizing ability of the ball-and-socket joint also was assessed. This study showed that the ball-and-socket joint could provide sufficient posterior stability, earlier start of flexion, and lower contact stress in the tibia] polyethylene insert in flexion. The design of the Bisurface knee could provide a good balance between kinematics, stability, and wear resistance.