EFFECTS OF PERCUTANEOUS AND CONVENTIONAL PLATING TECHNIQUES ON THE BLOOD-SUPPLY TO THE FEMUR

A cadaveric arterial injection study was performed to study the effect s of percutaneous and conventional surgical plating techniques on femo ral vascularity. Sixteen-hole dynamic condylar screw and condylar butt ress plates were applied on the proximal and distal shafts, respective ly, of intact femora in ten human cadavers. On one side, the plate was inserted using a lateral conventional plate osteosynthesis (CPO) tech nique with elevation of the vastus lateralis muscle to expose the shaf t. On the contralateral side, the plate was inserted percutaneously be neath the muscle using a minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPP O) technique. After plating, blue silicone dye was injected through th e common femoral artery. A dissection was then performed to identify t he femoral perforating arteries (PAs). The pattern of periosteal filli ng of the injected dye was analyzed. The MIPPO technique maintained th e integrity of the PAs and exhibited superior periosteal perfusion. Th e results of this study indicate that the MIPPO technique maintains fe moral vascularity and perfusion better than the CPO technique.