Jr. Field et al., The influence of screw omission on construction stiffness and bone surfacestrain in the application of bone plates to cadaveric bone, INJURY, 30(9), 1999, pp. 591-598
Citations number
24
Categorie Soggetti
Aneshtesia & Intensive Care
Journal title
INJURY-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE CARE OF THE INJURED
Biological fracture repair is becoming an increasingly popular means of fra
cture fixation. This technique involves a reduction in the amount of surgic
al trauma thereby preserving vascular supply and soft-tissue integrity comb
ined with the implantation of less hardware. The aim is the stimulation of
callus formation as the means by which fracture union occurs.
This paper describes the mechanical effect of the symmetrical omission of s
crews on construction stiffness and bone surface strain following the appli
cation of bone plates to cadaveric bone. The influence of the pattern of sc
rew omission was evaluated in both intact and osteotomized bone specimens.
The application of bone plates using certain patterns of screw omission did
not significantly effect the stiffness of the final construction whilst in
herent bone surface strain was increased.
It was concluded that the omission of screws in certain defined patterns fo
r a given plate-bone construction may meet the criteria for 'biological fix
ation'. There was no apparent deleterious effect on structural stiffness fo
llowing the omission of 40% of the total screw complement from a plate-bone
construction. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.