Extract
The purpose of this exhibit is to demonstrate, with conventional and
virtual images, the three-dimensional shape of the naturally asymmetric distal
part of the femur, illustrating the cylindrical axis of the femoral condyles
relative to the conventional (mechanical, anatomic, and epicondylar) axes of
the lower limb and knee. The relationships between morphologically and
experimentally determined rotation axes are illustrated. This study provides
kinematic and morphologic validation for a single cylindrical
flexion-extension axis of the knee. The clinical implications of a single
flexion axis of the knee for alignment and soft-tissue balance in total knee
arthroplasty, as well as the position and tension of a graft in anterior
cruciate ligament reconstruction, are demonstrated with the aid of
illustrations from the Visible Human Project at the National Library of
Medicine as well as images from the University of Colorado Center for Human
Simulation.