Bone ingrowth: an application of the boundary element method to bone remodeling at the implant interface.

Surface bone remodeling theory and the boundary element method are employed to investigate the microstructural remodeling of bone at the bone-implant interface. Three situations are considered: remodeling-induced penetration between the screw threads of an implanted screw, penetration of bone tissue into a slot or cavity in an implant, and the interaction of individual trabeculae in the remodeling processes near an implant. For each case the bone ingrowth is determined as a function of the geometry and the applied load.