title: A biomechanical study of two postoperative prostheses for transtibial amputees: a custom-molded and a prefabricated adjustable pneumatic prosthesis.
abstract: We evaluated an adjustable pneumatic prefabricated prosthesis and a rigid custom-molded prosthesis for immediate postoperative use. Twelve transtibial amputations were performed on cadaver limbs. Differential variable reluctance transducers were placed subcutaneously across the wound edge medially and laterally. The limbs were then placed in either the pneumatic prosthesis (five limbs) or the rigid prosthesis (seven limbs). The specimens underwent static and cyclic loading to simulate weight bearing. The strain readings for static and cyclic loading were greater in the rigid prosthetic group. Only the mean medial strain measurement after cyclic loading was statistically significant. The results demonstrate that the pneumatic prosthesis places less strain across the wound than a rigid prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Henry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: Lew C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Schon
authors.forename: Brent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parks
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleeman
authors.forename: Warren R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Thanos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Badekas
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noll
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Melamed
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002102:Cadaver; D006801:Humans; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery; D016474:Weight-Bearing