title: Material and structural tensile properties of the human medial patello-femoral ligament.
abstract: The medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) is considered the most important passive patellar stabilizer and acts 50-60% of the force of the medial soft-tissue which restrains the lateralization of the patella between 0° and 30°. In this work, 24 human knees have been tested to evaluate the material properties of MPFL and to determine the structural behavior of femur-MPFL-Patella complex (FMPC). Particular attention was given to maintain the anatomical orientation between the patella and MPFL and to the evaluation of the elongation during the mechanical tests. The ultimate stress of the isolated ligament was 16±11MPa, the ultimate strain was 24.3±6.8%, the Young׳s Modulus was 116±95MPa and the strain energy density was 2.97±1.69MPa. The ultimate load of the whole structure, FMPC, was 145±68N, the ultimate elongation was 9.5±2.9mm, the linear stiffness was 42.5±10.2N/mm and the absorbed energy was 818.8±440.7Nmm. The evaluation of material and structural properties of MPFL is fundamental to understand its contribution as stabilizer and for the selection of repair and reconstruction methods.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca Traslazionale per l׳Apparato Locomotore-Nicola Cerulli - LPMRI, via A. Einstein 12, 52100 Arezzo, Italy; Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Criscenti
authors.affiliation: Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: carmelo.demaria@centropiaggio.unipi.it.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Maria
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca Traslazionale per l׳Apparato Locomotore-Nicola Cerulli - LPMRI, via A. Einstein 12, 52100 Arezzo, Italy; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Perugia, via S. Andrea delle Fratte 1, 06134 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca Traslazionale per l׳Apparato Locomotore-Nicola Cerulli - LPMRI, via A. Einstein 12, 52100 Arezzo, Italy; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Perugia, via S. Andrea delle Fratte 1, 06134 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tei
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca Traslazionale per l׳Apparato Locomotore-Nicola Cerulli - LPMRI, via A. Einstein 12, 52100 Arezzo, Italy; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Perugia, via S. Andrea delle Fratte 1, 06134 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Placella
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca Traslazionale per l׳Apparato Locomotore-Nicola Cerulli - LPMRI, via A. Einstein 12, 52100 Arezzo, Italy; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Perugia, via S. Andrea delle Fratte 1, 06134 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Speziali
authors.affiliation: Research Center "E. Piaggio", University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy; Department of Ingegneria dell'Informazione, University of Pisa, via G. Caruso 16, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vozzi
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerca Traslazionale per l׳Apparato Locomotore-Nicola Cerulli - LPMRI, via A. Einstein 12, 52100 Arezzo, Italy; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Perugia, via S. Andrea delle Fratte 1, 06134 Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cerulli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D010329:Patella; D013718:Tensile Strength
keywords: Femur-MPFL-patella complex (FMPC); Ligament biomechanics; Material properties; Medial patello-femoral ligament (MPFL); Structural properties