COMPARISON OF 2 FIXATION METHODS OF OBLIQUE LESSER METATARSAL OSTEOTOMIES - A BIOMECHANICAL STUDY

Two methods of internal fixation of oblique lesser metatarsal osteotom ies were compared biomechanically using fresh-frozen human cadaver bon es. Osteotomies were made obliquely through the metatarsal shafts and fixed with either crossed Kirschner wires or a single AO screw using t he lag technique. The specimens were then fixed at their proximal end and loaded to failure using an axial torsion material testing system ( MTS, Minneapolis, MN). Load displacement curves were obtained and the stiffness of the constructs was determined. Single-screw fixation was found to be significantly stiffer than the crossed wire configuration (P <.01). Single-screw fixation resulted in a stiffness of 211.2 +/- 1 11.7 N/cm (mean +/- SD), while stiffness of the crossed wire configura tion averaged 56.9 +/- 25.1 N/cm.