OBJECTIVES This study sought to examine fatigue characteristics of 2 polyaxial locking screw designs: locking cap (LC) and cross-threaded (CT). The goal was to compare LC and CT implants at 0, 10, and 15 degrees of angulation to determine the effect of locking mechanism on screw-plate interface failure. The hypothesis was that LC implants would have superior fatigue properties in comparison to ...

BACKGROUND The invention of the locking plate technology leads to alterations of treatment strategies at metaphyseal fracture sites with the concept of spontaneous remodeling of trabecular bone voids. Whereas trabecular regeneration has been proven in experimental animal studies, no histologic data exist on human fracture healing with special emphasis on bone voids. METHODS In order to qualif...

OBJECTIVE To compare biomechanical properties of currently available plating systems used to reconstruct segmental mandibular defects. DESIGN Controlled in vitro investigation. SETTING Academic medical center laboratory. INTERVENTIONS Thirty-two polyurethane mandibles were equally divided among 4 groups: mandibles with a 4-cm lateral segmental defect that was bridged with a (1) 3.0-mm loc...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The effect of additive fiber-cerclages in proximal humeral fractures stabilized by locking plates on fracture stabilization and rotator cuff function is unclear. Here it was assessed in a human cadaver study. METHODS 24 paired human shoulder specimens were harvested from median 77-year-old (range 66-85) female donors. An unstable 3-part fracture model with an intact rot...

We describe a case of radiation-associated fracture nonunion of the clavicle, which was treated by locking plate fixation and autologous bone grafting. The patient was a 67-year old man who received 70 Gy radiation therapy to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Eight years later, he suffered a pathological fracture of the right clavicle. One year after the fracture, surgical treatment was performed...

The aim of this study was to compare bridging external fixation with volar locked plating in patients with unstable distal radial fractures regarding functional outcome. A systematic search was performed in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline and EMBASE. All randomized controlled trials that compared bridging external fixation directly with volar locked plating in patien...

Supra-condylar humerus fractures with extension into shaft are difficult to treat and typically require open anatomical reduction and internal fixation. Here we describe our experience treating distal humerus fractures using a triceps splitting approach with bicolumnar locking plate fixation.

We propose a locking-free element for plate bending problems, based on the use of nonconforming piecewise linear functions for both rotations and deflections. We prove optimal error estimates with respect to both the meshsize and the analytical solution regularity.

We report a case of flexor pollicis longus and flexor digitorum profundus(II) laceration as a result of the severe tenosynovitis after volar locking plate fixation of distal radius fracture.