Waterjet drilling in porcine bone: The effect of the nozzle diameter and bone architecture on the hole dimensions

  • Steven den Dunnen*
  • , Lars Mulder
  • , Gino M.M.J. Kerkhoffs
  • , Jenny Dankelman
  • , Gabrielle J.M. Tuijthof
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Using waterjets instead of rigid drill bits for bone drilling can be beneficial due to the absence of thermal damage and a consequent sharp cut. Additionally, waterjet technology allows the development of flexible instruments that facilitate maneuvering through complex joint spaces. Controlling the drilling depth is of utmost importance to ensure clinical safety, but is challenging given the local variations in structural properties of the bone. The goal of this study was to deduce a descriptive mathematical equation able to predict the hole depth and diameter based on the local structural properties of the bone at given waterjet diameters.210 holes were drilled in porcine femora and tali with waterjet diameters (Dnozzle) of 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6mm at a pressure of 700bar and a 5s jet time. Hole depths (Lhole), diameters (Dhole) and bone architectural properties were determined using microCT scans. The most important bone architectural property is the bone volume fraction (BV/TV), resulting in the significant predictive equations: Lhole=34.3 * Dnozzle2-17.6 * BV/TV+10.7 (R2=0.90, p<0.001), and hole Dhole=3.1* Dnozzle-0.45*BV/TV+0.54 (R2=0.58, p=0.02), with Lhole, Dhole and Dnozzle in mm.Drilling to a specific depth in bone tissue with a known BV/TV is possible, thereby contributing to the safe application of waterjet technology in orthopedic surgery.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)84-93
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials
Volume27
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bone architecture
  • Bone drilling
  • Hole geometry
  • Orthopedic surgery
  • Waterjet diameter
  • Waterjet drilling
  • n/a OA procedure

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