In vitro fatigue testing of prosthetic ligaments: a new concept.

A cruciate ligament fatigue/wear testing system TTF600 was developed at Ecole Poly-technique in order to reproduce a little better the loading conditions and environment in which they perform. This machine was designed to subject the ligaments to simultaneous tension, bending and torsion. The amplitude of each loading can be adjusted separately. This allows to better define the effect of each loading mode on the viability of a prosthetic device. Six devices can be tested simultaneously in a liquid environment at 37 degrees C. The loading conditions and the behaviour of the prosthesis are monitored by computer.