Many sources of variability are inherently present in biomechanics. Intersubject variability includes differences in the geometry and mechanical properties of anatomical structures, as well as in loading and joint mechanics. When considering orthopaedic implants, alignment of the components also contains significant variability. Probabilistic analysis provides a framework to assess the impact of these sources of variability on performance measures. Specifically, these techniques quantify a distribution or bounds of performance and identify the most important parameters and or combinations of parameters that influence performance.

This webinar will provide an overview of probabilistic modeling techniques and highlight their use in a series of clinical and biomechanical applications: effects of implant alignment variability on joint mechanics, statistical shape modeling to characterize intersubject variability and perform population-based evaluations, and relationships between shape and function in the natural knee. An improved understanding of the role of variability can provide insight into normal and pathologic joint mechanics and aid in the design of implants that are robust to patient and alignment variability.